The Heart of Life
by pineappleluna
Summary: A collection of short-stories focusing mainly on Peter and Gwen and including their friends and family. Rated K just in case! Previously called And So It Began. (Stories are not told in order)
1. Beginnings

**This is just a little ditty that I wanted to write for fun. Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions. This is set mainly in the TASM movie-verse.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Spider-man/The Amazing Spider-man.**

Gwen closed the bedroom door firmly with a loud and purely unintentional slam. It shut so suddenly that the man on the other side had to leap out of the way so as not to break his nose.

"Gwen?" Peter pleaded, leaning on the door frame with his forehead against the door. "Please, honey, just talk to me!"

Gwen sunk down onto the bed, holding her head in her hands. She felt immediately very guilty at the tone of concern in Peter's voice. She hadn't meant to worry him, but there was no way she could talk to him right then. Her brain had gone on overload. She had been at Oscorp for the past three hours, with her mind nowhere near the proofs she was supposed to be going over and, yet, she was still feeling in over her head.

"Peter, I just need to be alone for now." Gwen managed to say, her voice surprisingly hard. The silence on his side of the door made her feel even worse. She hadn't meant for that either! She didn't even attempt to wipe away the tear that dripped down her cheek. Peter, still leaning in the hall, fought for the right words.

"I just…are…I just want to make sure you're alright, Gwen." He stammered. Gwen's single tear was followed by a small army of waterworks just at the sound of his worried voice. "Are…are you?"

Gwen wiped her face, trying to understand. Was she alright? She had so many emotions inside her and though many of them were positive, there were just so many. It was overwhelming. The illogical fear she had been suppressing for the entire afternoon and now the guilt for being so unfair to Peter did not make matters any better.

"No," she finally whispered. "I mean yes, I'm…I'm…I don't know."

Peter stayed quiet for a long time. Something was obviously bothering her, but he knew that pressing her too hard about it would only worsen things.

"Gwen, if you need me to do anything-"

"I don't. It's fine, Peter. I just need to be alone, okay? Just…just go." Gwen sobbed. She didn't want that last part to sound as mean as it probably had, but she needed time to think. Peter didn't say anything, but his footsteps told her that he had indeed gone. She heard the front door of their apartment open and then close. The silence that followed sent another band of tears down Gwen's cheeks. She hadn't wanted to push Peter away. He was the only person that she needed right now, the most important. But she was so scared. They had skirted around the topic once or twice since their marriage, but they had never actually discussed it. Gwen was filled with worry; they were so in love and would stand by each other's side through thick and thin, she knew that, but was it too soon?

Gwen didn't know how long she sat on the bed, her mind jumping from on absurd conclusion to another. Once she had cried herself out, she got up and went into the bathroom. She didn't look in the mirror until after she had splashed cold water over her face. Even then, when she finally looked up, her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. She put some eye drops in, which helped a little, and then sighed. If Peter could love her looking like this, he could love her through anything. Gwen stared herself down in the mirror, willing the fear away. There was no question about it; she had to tell Peter now. She took a deep breath and then let her feet lead her out of the bathroom, the bedroom, and soon the apartment. She somehow knew exactly where her spider man would be.

"Peter?"

Gwen's voice was hushed and quiet. Peter looked up and saw her standing in the door frame. He was sitting on the roof, leaning against the brick wall that bordered the edges. He had retreated to the rooftop and was listening absentmindedly to his police scanner. He had been thinking only of his wife and, now that she was here, Peter stood slowly. Gwen's eyebrows were creased and she was wringing her hands nervously.

"Peter, I'm…I'm really sorry for just now." She said quickly, taking a few steps towards him. "I just…freaked out and I didn't mean to and-"

Peter closed the space between them, relieved, and kissed her swiftly. Gwen let herself melt into him.

"Don't worry about it," Peter said when he had pulled away. He traced her cheekbones with his thumbs. His eyes were wide with worry. "But…what's going on? Are…are you ok?"

An honest smile flickered upon Gwen's face.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm ok," she said. Peter raised his eyebrows and Gwen moved towards the wall of the rooftop, nodding reassuringly. "I'm better than ok, actually."

"Good," Peter smiled. Gwen's eyes glowed and she held Peter's gaze for a long moment before quickly looking out at the city. Peter's smile faded a little and he neared her with curiosity.

"Gwen…?" he began.

"I have to tell you something," Gwen said suddenly, turning her attention back to him raptly. Her heartbeat raced and her fingers were trembling slightly.

"Oh?" Peter raised his eyebrows once more, amused this time. He went to stand beside her. The exchange was uncannily similar to when Peter revealed his secret identity to her. Gwen, seeming to recognize this as well, laughed gently. She sighed and took his hand in hers and felt some of the fear disappear.

"Eight years ago, on a roof just like this one, you kissed me for the first time and told me something that you hadn't ever told anyone else." She started, remembering every detail of that night: how there was just a hint of a chill in the air, the twinge of disappointment Gwen had felt when Peter mentioned the vigilante and the car thief, the shock of finding out that he was in fact the vigilante…and then of course, the warmth of Peter's lips on hers.

Presently, Gwen laced her fingers together behind Peter's neck, longing for that warmth again. Confidence filled her as she knew suddenly that everything would be fine. Peter touched his nose to hers and the corners of Gwen's lips lifted as she continued to talk. "And two years ago, in this exact spot, you asked me to marry you."

"Mmhmm…" Peter breathed, moving to kiss her. Gwen smirked, moving her head back tauntingly.

"So…" she whispered, looking up into her husband's twinkling eyes. "It only seems right me to tell you this here…"

Peter waited for her to go on, suddenly feeling something like nerves fluttering through his veins. A thought was forming in his head like puzzle. The pieces weren't all there, but suddenly, he was beginning to guess what Gwen was about to tell him. But that couldn't be it…could it?

"I'm just going to say it." Gwen sighed, more to herself than to Peter. She closed her eyes for a second, preparing, and then looked back up. "I went to the doctor before work today and-"

"All available units to South 53 Street, we have a serious apartment fire, citizens still in the building, cause unknown. I repeat: all available units to South 53 Street." The police scanner blared.

Peter glanced back at it and closed his eyes. He listened closely and his spider senses allowed him to hear the distant wail of sirens. A random, severe fire meant most likely people would be expecting Spider-man to come to the rescue. But going to the emergency would mean leaving Gwen on the rooftop just as she was telling him what might be the most pivotal news of his, and her, life. Peter's decision came in a heartbeat. When he turned back to Gwen, however, he saw a flicker of resigned disappointment in her eyes.

"No," Peter said quickly.

"Peter, if you have-"

"No, no, no, babe, I'm all yours, alright?" Peter said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Gwen seemed to be debating something in her head. She nodded.

"You go right after I tell you, alright?" she asked. "I know you have to, but I also know you might not want to after I tell you but I don't want you to-"

Peter silenced her with a soft kiss.

"Alright." He whispered. "Now, what is it?"

Gwen smiled, more genuinely than ever. The words gushed out of her.

"We're having a baby, Peter."

Peter's face froze. Gwen watched him expectantly, but he didn't move. He just kept staring at her, as if she hadn't spoken at all. Gwen blinked and the fear started to seep its way back into her. But there was something new…an excitement that had previously been masked by her worry. She couldn't help but start to smile. Peter's expression, however, remained motionless, his brown eyes wide. He has supposed, yes, that she was going to tell him this, but…hearing her actually say it stunned him.

"Peter?"Gwen asked tentatively. He blinked as if breaking out of a trance. To Gwen's relief, a soft smile rose upon his lips.

"You…you're…" his eyes glimmered. Gwen beamed and nodded. "And we're…we're going to be…?"

"Yes, Peter!" Gwen laughed, new tears suddenly pricking her eyes. "You're going to be a Daddy."

"Oh my god!" Peter's face broke into a beam and he suddenly lifted Gwen into the air and spun around, laughing joyously.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, setting Gwen back on her feet. Gwen laughed and pulled his face to hers, kissing him. Peter kissed her back with a refreshed kind of excitement before dancing her around the roof. "This is incredible. We're going to be parents!"

Gwen giggled as they leapt about with almost child-like joy, both laughing and grinning like fools. Peter took her hand and spun her into him once more. Gwen looked up into his eyes and sobered. She turned around so that she was facing him completely and ran her fingers over his face. Peter calmed down similarly, touching his nose to Gwen's tenderly.

"I love you so much," he murmured. Gwen's eyes twinkled back at him.

"I love you too." She breathed. Their eyes locked affectionately. In unison, Peter and Gwen laughed again, grinning. Peter lowered his hands to gently touch Gwen's presently slim stomach. He warmed inside to think that in just a few months, the physical evidence of his and Gwen's love would be visible. And a few months after that, they'd be holding their little boy or girl.

"You're going to be such a good mom," he told her, breaking the silence. Gwen's eyes filled with warm, joyful tears. Her lips twitched into a smile mixed with gratitude, hope, and a little nervousness.

"And you, Peter," Gwen said, though her voice was choked. A few tears trickled down her cheeks, but Gwen was beaming. Peter wiped the wetness from her cheeks. "You are going to be…the best father any child could ever have."

Peter's smile was soft. "I hope so," he whispered before dropping his chin and kissing Gwen gently. She kissed him back with less gentleness and more passion, clutching his messy hair with her fingers. Peter let out a moan and pressed her closer to him, hands on the small of her back, deepening their embrace.

"Copy, fire's spreading, we're going to need some back up," the police scanner spoke with static.

"Peter…" Gwen whispered, resurfacing for breath. Peter shook his head, eyes closed. He took her face in his hands and continued to kiss her deeply. Gwen felt the wind knock out of her and she could have gone with it, but the scanner spoke again.

"Where's that Spider-man when you need him?"

Peter separated his lips from Gwen's reluctantly, looking at her with eyes full of an unspoken apology.

"Go," Gwen said gently, pressing her fingers against his. He opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Gwen shook her head, smiling a little. "You promised, remember?"

Peter chuckled hesitantly. "Yeah, I guess I did." He sighed. "We're going to do something to celebrate when I get back."

"Just come back to me in one piece," Gwen told him, only half-joking.

"I will." Peter smiled and kissed Gwen once more, very softly on the lips. He made himself pull away and stripped out of his street clothes, revealing the red and blue Spider-man suit. Gwen took the clothes from him, hugging them to her chest and breathing in his warm smell, watching with loving eyes as he pulled the mask over his face. He turned his head to her and, although the mask made it impossible to tell for sure, Gwen was certain that Peter was grinning from ear to ear.

"Be careful," she ordered. He saluted her before sprinting towards the wall and vaulting over it. Gwen ran to the edge and watched as her husband swung from building to building.

"Woohoo!" his voice rang out deliriously. Gwen smiled, pressing her palm lightly to her stomach.

"That's your Daddy," she murmured to the tiny life inside of her. She watched Peter until he was a mere speck in the distance. Once he had disappeared, she walked back to the stairwell, back into the apartment to wait for Peter to return and hold to the hope that he would. As she stretched out on the couch, turning on the evening news, she thought about how, soon enough, she wouldn't be the only one waiting for Peter to come home. There'd be a child, to whom Peter's identity and secret life would have to be explained and who, for all intents and purposes, would need Peter to come home more than anyone. Gwen sighed, a smile playing on her lips, and felt a fresh wave of excitement for the new life ahead. Eventually she fell asleep with the news still on and thoughts of the future filling her dreams.

And so it began.


	2. Exactly How She Found Them

**Before this next one-shot starts, I have to say a huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed! You have no idea how excited I was just to see that you had taken the time to do so! I appreciated all the positive feedback very much. PLEASE keep reviewing! :D**

**This next one-shot takes place quite a bit later than the last one and is more of Peter and the baby than Peter and Gwen. I promise there will be more Peter/Gwen later, though. Also, some of the other one-shots will probably fill the space in between this one and the last one and connect the dots a bit more. That's enough from me! Don't forget to leave a review!**

**EXACTLY HOW SHE FOUND THEM**

Sirens wailed in the streets below, but for the first time in the past few months, Peter Parker decided he was too exhausted to follow them. New York was always in need of saving, but hey, so was he. Even Spider-man needed a break every now and then. He was sitting on the cold fire escape outside of his and Gwen's apartment, his bones aching. The spandex of his suit clung tightly against his skin. Every muscle in his body was limp with lack of sleep and his heavy eyelids drooped to cover his eyes. Before it became too late, Peter hauled himself to his feet and, quietly as possible, pried the window open. Any longer on that escape and he would end up falling asleep there.

Gwen was, as he expected, fast asleep in their bed. His eyes were trained on her as he crouched in the window frame. She was on the far side of the bed, turned on her side with her face tilted towards him. Her arms were stretched out in front of her, hands resting on Peter's side of the bed, right where his chest should be. Half of her face was hidden in a pillow, but from the other half, Peter could see a small, dreamy smile on her lips. Tired as he was, he stayed in the window for a few moments, just taking in how peaceful and beautiful his wife looked. It wasn't until his bone-tired legs nearly sent him toppling back out onto the fire escape that Peter leapt silently into the room and closed the window behind him. He pulled off the mask, ran a hand through his hair, and then proceeded to prying off the suit. It was an unnecessarily tedious process; the suit was always much more difficult to deal with when it was wet and New York had had so much rain recently that Peter was surprised people weren't using the streets as swimming pools.

When he had finally stripped himself of his disguise, Peter pulled on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a white undershirt. He took a deep breath and looked blearily around the room.

Not too long ago, Peter might have let himself finally rest at this point, but now he did not. He passed the bed and crossed the hall into another room. Much smaller than the one he and Gwen shared, this room was lit by a starry lamp in the corner. Peter shuffled, eyes half open, to the crib in the center of the room. May Parker, the little child inside it, was lying on her stomach, her face turned to the side just like her mother's. Peter leaned against the bars of her bed and smiled at his daughter. Her shock of brownish hair was messy, the curls wispy as clouds. She lay surprisingly still and Peter had to put a gentle hand on her back to reassure himself that his baby was breathing. Once he was satisfied that she was alive, Peter watched over her for a few more minutes and then shuffled back into his room. A bed had never looked so inviting. He flopped himself down on his stomach beside Gwen, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"Peter…" she murmured, though she was mostly asleep. She pressed her nose against his cheek.

"Mmmph…" Peter pulled her closer to him, kissing her lips lightly. He sighed and closed his eyes at last. He was just about to slip into the darkness, he was right about to fall asleep when….

"Aaaaa!" a little voice cried out.

Gwen sat straight up, bringing Peter along with her.

"May…" she gasped, panicked, although this was by no means the first time they had been woken by their daughter's cries. Peter rubbed at his eyes. He put his arms around Gwen's shoulders and lowered her back into the pillows.

"I got her," he kissed Gwen's forehead and got up. "Go back to sleep, honey."

Gwen did not argue; she was asleep again by the time her head hit the pillow. Peter followed his daughter's intensifying wails. It was a new kind of siren, not a police siren, which was grabbing Spider-man's attention lately.

"I'm coming, Mayday," he mumbled to her, crossing the hall. "Daddy's coming…"

May was sitting up, hands in the air, fingers grabbing at the darkness. When she saw Peter, she cried even more, just to ensure she had her father's undivided attention. She reached for him. Peter smiled empathetically at her and May's tear-filled eyes looked back at him, as if to say, "How can you smile at a time like this?"

"Come on, May," he said, picking her up and lifting her out of the crib. She burrowed into her father's shirt, her cries muffling. Peter pressed his lips against her head, stroking her hair and bouncing her lightly. "What's going on, Mayday? Huh?" He lifted her up, holding her forehead against his and looking into her watery eyes. "What's wrong, little spider-girl? Doesn't smell like you need to be changed…you hungry? You want some milk?"

May slowly stopped shrieking and began to sob quietly. She reached her tiny hand up and grasped her father's ear. Peter smiled and kissed his daughter's nose.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed. May blinked at him, her sobs coming out helplessly. Peter hugged her head into his chest and tip-toed down the hall towards the kitchen. The motion seemed to calm May down; her crying had become significantly quieter until soon she wasn't crying at all. She had let go of Peter's ear and was now holding on to his pinky with both of her hands. Peter rubbed his thumb over her tiny fingers as they walked into the kitchen. Holding her with one arm, he opened the refrigerator and took out one of the bottles of milk that he and Gwen had prepared. He put it in the microwave to heat and, once he had tested the temperature on his finger, screwed the lid on. He put the bottle up to May and she immediately began to drink the warm contents. Peter leaned against the wall, holding his daughter in one arm and the bottle of milk with the other hand. May drank hungrily, but her big, round eyes stayed on her father. Peter gazed back at her warmly.

Peter had always thought that he understood why Captain Stacy had made him promise to stay away from Gwen. The Captain had wanted to keep his only daughter safe and protected from harm. Peter had wanted the same thing for Gwen, so at the time, he thought he understood perfectly. It wasn't until he had held May in his arms for the first time that he really got it. Her safety wasn't just important, it was everything. He could never forgive himself if something, anything, happened to his little girl, his fault or not. The same could be said for Gwen, of course; since overstepping his promise to her father, Peter had done everything in his power to keep harm from coming to Gwen. He always would.

May finished the bottle with a content little sigh, pulling Peter out of his sleepy thoughts. He smiled through a yawn and put the bottle in the sink.

"Better?" he asked his daughter. May only looked up at him with her giant eyes. She seemed to be wide awake. Peter on the other hand was not. He felt like he might fall asleep at any second. May looked up at the ceiling and reached. Peter rolled his eyes, exasperatedly amused.

"It's almost two o'clock in the morning, May," he sighed. "It's the middle of the night and you want to crawl on the ceiling?"

May's eyes flit back and forth innocently. What was so wrong about crawling on the ceiling in the middle of the night? Peter stared at her, unsure if he should comply to his little angel's wish or if he should put his foot down and just tell her 'no'. May stared him back down with eyes identical Gwen's and with identical determination, as well.

"Fine," Peter huffed. He could never resist those eyes. He stretched his arms up, May clasped in his hands, and made sure that her hands and feet were on the ceiling before letting go. "But if your Mommy wakes up, this was your idea."

He could have been talking to a lamp for all May listened. She rocketed off in the direction of a cabinet, sticking to the ceiling with her spider-like fingers. Peter hurried to stay underneath her, lest she should accidently fall. Peter and Gwen had wondered, since the time that May was only a twinkle in their eyes, if their child would inherit Peter's abilities. At first, May showed no signs of being part radioactive spider and part of Peter had been relieved. However, once May had started to crawl, it became clear that she did, in fact, possess spider abilities. Peter had come home from a long night of crime fighting to find that his daughter was not in her crib. He had immediately panicked and it wasn't until after many frustrated minutes of searching the entire apartment and horrified thoughts of her being kidnapped, that something made Peter look up. When he did it was to see his daughter clinging to the ceiling and looking down at him with mild curiosity. It was lucky, too, that he had seen her at that point because the webbing on her fingers was not quite developed and it had released her without warning. That had only been a week ago and, since May's power's were still rather faulty, Peter and Gwen had to keep an especially close eye on her.

"Whoa!" Peter gasped, catching May easily as she made her way towards the front door. He had looked away for only one second, but that was enough time for her to speed off. He detached her from the ceiling with a little difficulty and held her close to him again. She squirmed, whining, and reached back towards the ceiling. Peter gently pressed her hands down and put on a fake pout. "What? Is your old man not good enough anymore?"

May pouted back at him. Peter frowned. Had he really just referred to himself as an old man? But, he thought, shrugging, it seemed to have worked because May had hugged him around the neck and was now resting her head on his shoulder. Peter nuzzled her head with his nose and sleepily trudged back into her room. Yawning, he attempted to lower her down onto her soft blankets, but to his slight surprise, May did not let go. She let out a noise that sounded like a firm 'no' and buried her head deeper into her father's neck. Peter breathed out deeply. Was he ever going to get any sleep?

"Alright, you win, Mayday," he mumbled, going back to the living room. He sat down on the couch, preparing himself for at least another hour of being awake. "You've got all of Daddy's attention…what do you want to do?"

May didn't move. Peter froze, frowning.

"May?"

He pulled his head back and looked down; she was asleep. Peter's eyebrows went up with surprise. He glanced back down to make sure that he had not imagined it and, sure enough, he hadn't. May's eyes were shut tight and he could feel her deep breath on his neck. Peter blinked rapidly and shook his head with amusement. He put a pillow on the armrest and, being careful of his daughter's head, stretched out on his back, taking up the entire couch. He pried May's hands apart gently and held them in his, feeling her weight on his chest as he breathed in and out and in and out….He finally closed his eyes and, with his little girl curled up on him, he fell asleep.

And when the warm rays of sunshine woke Gwen up, she tiptoed into the living room and that was exactly how she found them.

**Please review! I'll try to have the next chapter up ASAP, but Winter Break is officially over tomorrow, so it's going to get busy. But on the bright side, only one more semester until I'm done with high school for good! :D That means, once summer comes, I can write as much fanfiction as I please. **

**Until college starts that is. :P**


	3. Shark Infested Waters

Shark Infested Waters

Night came with the crash of lightning and the rumble of thunder. The midsummer storm found Gwen Stacy-Parker curled up in an empty bed. The sheets were rumpled beside her, a slight indent in the mattress where her husband had been only minutes ago. Gwen was pressing her fists into it, trying to hold onto the warmth before it disappeared just like her crime-fighting, web-slinging, heart-throb of a love had. Gwen stared at his pillow. It was not his fault, exactly; New York City was always in need of saving and Spider-man was always there when his city needed him, even if that meant leaving his home in the middle of a stormy night. He remained dedicated to his responsibility…that was one of the many traits of Peter Parker that had made Gwen fall so madly in love with him. And it was one of the things that kept her head over heels, even after nearly six years of marriage.

Gwen didn't know she had fallen back into a light sleep until she was woken rather rudely by a bright flash and a giant growl from the sky. She sat straight up, waves of adrenaline pulsing through her, even though she knew it was only the storm raging away outside. Rubbing her eyes, she extracted herself from the blankets; something was telling her that there was a certain four-year-old who was in need of some reassurance. She was just sliding out of bed when she received a slight shock. May Parker, the four-year-old in question was standing in the doorway, hugging a teddy bear to her chest and looking about ready to jump out of her skin. Gwen smiled softly.

"I thought so," she sighed, though not exasperated. In fact, she was quite relieved to have her young daughter's presence. She started over to her, but another crack of the gods made them both leap feet in the air, May literally so. In less than a second, she had dropped the bear and was clinging to the top of the door frame. She looked at Gwen from upside down, as if surprised to find herself up there. Gwen hurried over to her and reached up. May released the wall and fell into her mother's warm embrace. Gwen hugged her daughter tightly, nearly sprinting back to the bed before the next bolt of lightning lit up the room. They both buried their heads in the pillows as the thunder rumbled, shaking the windows. May curled up into a little ball against her mother's chest, burrowing herself into Gwen's arms.

"This storm is scary, Mommy," May whispered, her voice trembling. Gwen stroked her hair gently, running her fingers through it and twisting the ends.

"You want to know something, honey?" she asked. May looked up, her eyes huge and inquiring. Gwen kissed her nose lightly. "Mommy is a little scared, too."

"Really?" May said. Gwen nodded. A little scared was very much an understatement. She was terrified, partly because of the weather, but mostly because Peter was swinging around the streets of New York in it. It horrified her to think of what he might be doing and what the current conditions did to his web-shooting. But she couldn't let her daughter think she was too worried…that would only scare little May more. Gwen tucked May's head beneath her chin, kissing her forehead before she did so.

May curled even closer to her mother, wishing she could just stay there forever. She felt protected by Gwen's embrace. It was here, in her mother's arms, that she felt like nothing bad could ever happen to her. She was only four and still rather small for her age, but she never felt more like a baby than when hugging her mother. It was a feeling that, though many of her peers might be fussy about, May loved. She was safe there. Nothing, even the storm, seemed so scary when she was with her mom. The same could be said about her father. Just holding his hand made May feel a thousand times braver. Peter and Gwen were May's world. She loved them more than any amount of ice cream, any dolls or toys, or any other favorites of a typical four-year-old.

"When is Daddy coming back?" May mumbled. Gwen sighed. She had been expecting that question.

"I don't know, sweetie," she whispered, wishing she could know. She wanted, no, she needed to know that Peter wasn't hurt. Gwen caressed the side of May's head. "But I'm sure he'll be here soon."

May nodded. She understood why he had to go. She had known about her father's secret identity for as long as she could remember. If she tried really hard, she could even recall memories of being a baby and seeing the mask and then his face smiling down at her. She had always known not to tell anyone else, too. Auntie May already knew, so she could talk about it to her. May's uncles, Phillip, Howard, and Simon didn't know though and neither did Grandma or any of May's friends. Thinking of her uncle Simon reminded her of something he had told her. May tilted her head up to her mother.

"Mommy," she started quietly. "Can you tell me about Grandpa?"

Gwen was taken aback. May hadn't asked about Gwen's father for a long time. When she had, it was because some kid at a camp she went to had mentioned his grandfather. May had been confused as to why she didn't have any grandpa at all, not even one. So Peter and Gwen had to explain that they had both died before she was born. But May had never mentioned it again, until now.

"Why are you asking about Grandpa?" she quizzed her daughter curiously. May's eyebrows pinched, much like how Peter's did when he was thinking.

"Well, Uncle Simon told me that he died because of someone Spider-man fought," she answered. "Someone Daddy fought. He said that it…that a Lizard killed him."

Gwen stared at May, a familiar ache panging inside of her. Her father's death was a constant knowledge in the back of her head, but she had come to terms with it as much as one could a long time ago.

"Uncle Simon told you that?" Gwen frowned. May nodded and Gwen's frown deepened. She'd have to talk to her brother about that. She didn't know why he had said anything to May without at least clearing it with Gwen and she didn't know if she was comfortable with that or not. May shouldn't have to bear too many of the details, especially at such a young age. But now she was staring up at Gwen, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Gwen let go of all of the breath in her lungs and tried to decide what the best way of explaining would be.

"Well, honey, you know your Grandpa was Captain of the Police force. He was with the police since before I was born." She began slowly. "That was always scary. It's kind of like how you and I wait for Daddy when he goes out. My mom and your uncles and I would wait every time. We were always scared that he wouldn't come back and…one night, he didn't. He died saving the city from Dr. Connors, who was one of the top scientists when I was first starting at work." Gwen paused, her throat tight and she didn't know if she should mention that her father was also helping Peter just before he died. She decided not to. "But your Grandpa died protecting the people he loved. He was a very respected man and…he was a really great Dad. He would have loved being a Grandpa, too…"

Gwen stopped. She didn't know what more she could say without opening the wounds too much. She didn't want to upset May, either. May was silent for a few minutes, her eyebrows still scrunched up in thought.

"Was Daddy there?" she asked. Gwen glanced down at her daughter and then looked up at the window Peter had disappeared from. She should have guessed that there was no way of avoiding that. She bit her lip.

"Yes." Gwen nodded, looking back down at May. "Your Daddy…he was the last person that Grandpa saw before he died."

May was watching her with her big, knowing eyes, taking in this new information. Gwen had always loved that about her daughter. From the second May had been born, even the doctors noticed this, she had watched the world with round, wise eyes that seemed to understand everything without anything needing to be explained. Those eyes, knowledgeable as they were, had a hunger, a thirst to learn. Peter and Gwen had the wonderful challenge of having a curious child who wanted to discover more. They were constantly teaching her new things.

The loudest bellow of the storm shook the floor. May squeezed her eyes shut and cuddled up closer to her mother again. Gwen hid her face in her daughter's hair as the thunder clanged. May was trembling slightly. It was odd to Gwen, sometimes, that her daughter was so scared of something like a storm. Storms were truly May's biggest fear. It only seemed odd in comparison to the things that May was not afraid of. Peter had been teaching her how to control her powers, which included taking her out (much to Gwen's motherly terror) for web-slinging sessions. He did not yet let her swing on her own, but rather had her cling to him while he swung, just to get her used to the flying sensation. Both Gwen and Peter had been apprehensive of May using her powers at all but because they were there and not going away, both parents decided that it would be best that she know how to handle them. So, May was generally a very brave girl. But not when it came to storms.

"Shh, shh…it's okay, baby, you're fine…" Gwen murmured, running her fingers through May's hair and kissing her head. Gwen had an instant flashback to when she was May's age, curled up in her own mother's arms, and waiting for her father to come home. She remembered being so terrified that he wouldn't make it back…but her mother had done something that had helped her feel less worried. Gwen looked down at her little girl and smiled softly. "I have an idea."

"What?" May mumbled. Gwen took May's face in her hands, gently tilting her chin up.

"It's a sort of game we could play," Gwen explained. She sat up, May still curled in her lap. "You have to use your imagination to do it, though." Gwen bit her lip and tried to remember exactly what her mother had said to her. "We take turns deciding what this bed is and where we are. It can be whatever we want and we can go wherever we want. When one of us feels like a change, we choose something else." She said. "You can pick a horse in a desert or…a dragon in a cave…anything."

May's eyes lit up excitedly. "Anything?"

"Anything you want." Gwen said, nuzzling May's little nose with her own. A smile lit up May's face. "You want to play?"

May nodded eagerly. "Can I start?"

"Of course," Gwen laughed. May sprung out of her arms with sudden energy and stood in the center of the bed. She made a thinking face for a moment before jumping up and down.

"It's a trampoline!" she exclaimed, though she pronounced it more like 'tampooleen'. "And we're jumping circus mice!"

Gwen beamed. She got up and began jumping beside her daughter. May giggled as they bounced in little circles on the mattress. She began to squeak like a little mouse.

"You have to make mouse noises, Mommy!" May told her mother.

"Silly me, of course we do." Gwen chuckled. She got down on her knees and squeaked, holding her clenched fingers in front of her face like a rodent might. She and May squeaked at each other, May still bouncing a little. Gwen thought up another place. "Now we're on a beach, just sleeping in the sand."

May dropped down like a fly and spread out on the bed, closing her eyes with a smile. Gwen stretched out beside her and really tried to imagine being at the seaside, with the warm sun shining down on her. May sighed, relaxed, and Gwen held her small fingers in her hand.

"Mmm…" she breathed in the imaginary ocean air. "This feels good, doesn't it?"

"Too good to be true!" May exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "Because it's not! This is actually a life boat and…" May paused to think a little. Gwen wished they could stay on the beach. "We're in a sea of sharks."

Gwen sat up. "Sharks?"

"Yes, sharks!" May squealed with terror. Her eyes were wide and Gwen could practically see the sharks that May was envisioning. Gwen put a panicked look on her face and hugged May around the waist.

"We better be careful then!" she gasped, glancing about the now shark filled room. "Stay away from the water!"

May held onto Gwen's long, blond hair, her only comfort from the shark infested seas. She pointed behind Gwen's back.

"There's one!" she exclaimed. Gwen looked back and gasped again. She kicked her leg out, hitting the invisible carnivore in the snout. May giggled.

"Go Mommy!" she grinned. Gwen beamed, but pointed out another shark, this time behind May. May turned and did a fancy little fan kick that Gwen assumed she must have learned from Peter.

"Go May!" Gwen laughed. She looked down the foot of the bed and then held her daughter tighter in mock terror. "Oh, no…" May let out a meek little whimper. Gwen continued in a suspenseful voice. "There's the Mama Shark…and she's angry that we hurt her two babies! She has a whole shark army and…what's that? They're looking for a sweet little girl so that they can…" Gwen paused dramatically. May hid her head on her mother's shoulder. Gwen's eyes sparkled. "So they can tickle her!"

Gwen immediately began to tickle May on her sides and on her stomach. May fell onto the mattress in a fit of giggles. Gwen laughed to as May continued to emit loud shrieks of laughter. Even when Gwen stopped tickling, May still cackled away and the two of them were laughing until their stomachs hurt, the storm forgotten completely. It wasn't until they heard a loud noise at the window that they stopped. They both sat up, intently watching as the window slid open and…

"Peter!" Gwen breathed, relief filling her.

"Daddy!" May cried joyfully. Peter took his mask off. His hair dripped drops of water onto the windowsill, but he grinned widely at the sight of his wife and daughter. He was just about to step down onto the floor when May shouted.

"No, no, no! The sharks! The sharks!"

Peter blinked, baffled. "Wha-"

"The sharks are going to eat you if touch the ground, honey." Gwen explained, looking at him meaningfully, telling him with her eyes to go along with it. Peter's eyebrows scrunched, confused, and still not getting it. Gwen raised her eyebrows and pointed to the floor. Sharks, she mouthed.

"Oh," Peter said, thinking. Realization dawned on his face. "Oh! Oh no!"

May beckoned him over frantically. "Come on, Daddy! Hurry before they get you!"

"I'm coming!" Peter cried dramatically. He shot a web to the ceiling above the bed and easily swung himself onto the mattress. May clung to him immediately, wrapping her arms and legs around his torso like a monkey. Peter hugged her tight. He leaned over her head and kissed Gwen long on the lips, putting an arm around her and hugging both of his girls to him. They stayed like that, all relieved of each others' presence, and Peter's sopping suit made the sheets turn into small puddles.

"You're soaked!" Gwen exclaimed, scrunching her nose, but pressing her cheek against his all the same.

"Sorry…" Peter smiled sheepishly, kissing Gwen's head apologetically.

"Well, it could be worse." May's voice said, muffled in between her parents' embrace.

"Yeah?" Peter and Gwen asked in unison.

"Yeah." May sighed. "At least he's not a shark."

**This was a long one! Maybe a little longer than it should have been, but I got carried away. And yes, I know I said the next ones would probably fill in the gaps and then this one just went ahead a few years but…I really wanted to explore May and Gwen. But this time, I mean it…there will be some more Peter/Gwen/Pre-May stories soon! **

**Also, just a tip for all of you fellow high schoolers…do all that you can NOT to fall to the clutches of Senioritis. If you do, you'll end up sitting on your bum writing fanfiction all day, or thinking about what your next Spiderman one-shot will be when you're really supposed to be learning about Chinese grammar, or sneaking hungry reads of The Help or some other wonderful book under your desk in Econ. So, in short, do not become like me. **

**Now that you've heard enough of my crazy, I have one last request: PLEASE review! I've absolutely loved, loved, LOVED reading all the reviews. Thank you lovely reviewers so much! Each and every review makes me smile :-) **


	4. Dreams part 1

**Just as a pre-story note, this is just half of the whole next one-shot. Part two is still being edited, but will be up very, very soon! So without further ado, here's part one. Thank you to every single person who wrote a review! They were all very kind and I really appreciated it. If you read this, please to try to leave a few words…I love to hear from you all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman…although, again, web-shooters would be pretty wonderful! Especially since I aspire to someday be Spider-Girl…and I can't really do that without the web-shooters….**

* * *

Dreams that Can Not Be

Gwen Stacy hated night time. More specifically, it was the time in between dinner and falling asleep that she hated. She was beginning to hate dinner, as well, even though it was really the only time besides breakfast on the weekends that she and her family ate together. Except the thing was, even though she, her mother, and her three brothers were all present, something was missing. The family naturally tried to block it out, mostly by discussing trivial things like their days at school or at work, but every silence was a reminder of what they had lost.

It had been almost four months since George Stacy had died and Gwen was still stuck in the habit of setting his place at the dinner table. Every time her mother told her dinner was ready, Gwen had to bite down the urge to call for her father and pass the message. And every time she had to remind herself that he would not sit in his special chair and that he would not respond even if she was screaming and crying, it was like he was dying all over again. Gwen had always been a bit of a Daddy's Girl…every time she had needed him, her dad was there. Until now. Now that he was gone, she needed him more than ever.

Gwen was lying on her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she told the knocker. The door opened and she looked up to see her mother, still dressed in a sweater and jeans, walk in. Helen Stacy looked surprised when she saw Gwen, already in her pajamas and under the covers.

"Gwen," she sighed, sitting at the end of her daughter's bed. "You know it's only 7:30."

"I know, Mom," Gwen said, sitting up and resting her elbows on her knees. "I just…felt like going to bed early."  
Her mom looked at her, skeptical and worried at the same time. "It's Friday night, honey."

"Yeah, so?" Gwen asked, the familiar, unintended irritation creeping up on her. Her mother seemed to notice and said very cautiously,

"So, when I was your age, I never wanted to stay home in bed on a Friday night," she smiled sympathetically at Gwen when the latter sighed impatiently and began to study her bedspread. Gwen traced her finger over the embroidered designs, not really wanting to hear what her mother had to say. Helen covered Gwen's hand with her own. "Sweetheart, I know you're having a hard time with…everything that's happened. But I don't want you shutting yourself up and driving yourself crazy over it."

"I'm not shutting myself up, Mom!" Gwen exclaimed, looking back up. "And I'm not driving myself crazy, it's just…I just….I want to stay in." she sighed and added, "Catch up on my sleep."

Her mother's eyes were still narrowed and her lips still pursed, as if she wanted to say more, but she saw that Gwen would not be swayed. She squeezed her daughter's hand.

"Alright, sweetie," she said, trying to keep a smile on her face, though all she really felt like doing was crying. It was so unfair that her daughter, that all of her children, should have to go through this so young. "You just talk to me if there's anything you need."

"I will, Mom," Gwen said softly. She felt a pang of guilt, though she was not sure why. It was almost like by not going out and being a normal teenager, she felt she was somehow letting her mother down. She curled underneath her blankets once more as her mom got up. Tucking her hands underneath her head, she pretended to start to fall asleep, expecting the door to close. When it didn't, she opened one eye timidly. Her mother was standing in the door frame, holding to the knob, and looking at Gwen thoughtfully.

"If you don't mind me asking, Gwennie," she began, her tone light and mild. Gwen lifted her head to listen. "Whatever happened with that boy who came over for branzino? Peter, I think his name was."

Gwen let her head fall back on the pillow carelessly.

"I don't know," she said, not failing to hear the bitterness in her voice. Before she could stop herself she added on a whisper, "Why?"

Helen paused, also detecting Gwen's discontent.

"It's just," she started, unsure. She sighed. "Gwen, I know how happy he made you. I just thought…maybe seeing him would make you feel a little better."

Gwen bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. Yes, he had made her happy and, yes, seeing him would make her feel better. If only he felt that way too.

"I don't know," she repeated, once she had found her voice. "He and I haven't…we kind of went separate ways."

"Oh, that's too bad," her mother said and she sounded genuinely disappointed. "He seemed like a very nice, respectful young man."

And, with that, she closed the door. Gwen had to cover her mouth to keep her sobs silent. They wracked her body, covering her pillow with tears. The truth was she and Peter had hardly talked at all since he told her that they couldn't be together, and the conversations they had were both pointless and civilly polite or they had gone very wrong. Their last encounter had been one of these grievously wrong times. Or at least, that's how it had felt to Gwen because they had made absolutely no progress in any which way.

He had been late to class and had made the teacher some promise that it wouldn't happen again.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Parker."

"Yeah, but those are the best kind…" Peter had whispered, just loud enough for Gwen to hear. She couldn't stop the dorky smile that had spread across her face. But when she confronted him about it, that smile vanished immediately. He instantaneously had regretted saying that.

"I have to keep you safe," Peter had then stated. Gwen, who was so sick of hearing this by now, had spun around and practically stomped down the hall. She wished he would follow but he hadn't, of course. He was, as her mother had so perfectly put it, a 'respectful young man'. At least, he was towards Gwen's father's dying wish. Every one of the nastier conversations between Peter and Gwen ended with that, with Peter saying that he couldn't let anything bad happen to her or he had to stay away so she wouldn't be in any danger. Everything boiled down to that promise and it sometimes got so irritating that Gwen found herself wishing something dangerous would happen to her just so that Peter would see that she was more vulnerable without him than with him.

But nothing had happened and Peter had relentlessly stayed away. And people in Portland, all the way across the country, could hear Gwen's heart breaking. Losing her father was enough…why did she have to lose Peter too? They hadn't been a couple for very long, but yet, Gwen knew she loved him and she knew he loved her. She had had a reoccurring dream of Peter for the past few weeks. They were sitting at the top of a clock tower, as they once had on a special, midnight date. The sky was clear and the stars twinkled down at her; the night was absolutely beautiful, but Gwen wasn't paying attention to anything around her. All that mattered was Peter, his eyes, his hair, his deep soul, and his hands that cupped her face gently…everything about him. They looked into each other's eyes and Gwen felt a swoop of joyful relief. _Finally_, she thought, looking into his big, warm brown eyes that were getting closer and closer…and then his lips were on hers and he was kissing her and she was kissing him and he was her everything and then…she'd wake up.

Gwen didn't know she had fallen asleep until she felt Peter's lips disappear from hers. She opened her eyes to almost complete darkness and a heavy heart. She had had the dream again. God, she hated that damn dream! Of course, in some way, she also loved it; really, it was waking up that she hated. She looked at the clock: It was midnight on the dot. She hadn't actually meant to fall asleep, but perhaps it was for the better. Staying up would have resulted in her torturing herself with memories.

Even so, Gwen felt wide awake. She sat up and stared dejectedly at the closed blinds. It wasn't until last week, until that last argument with Peter that Gwen had stopped leaving the blinds up. She had always done it with hopes that he would return out of nowhere and tell her he couldn't stand it anymore and that they should start seeing each other again. Sometimes, hope makes you hurt more than it helps. Gwen forced herself to stop hoping and to face the facts. But there was still a tiny part of her…

Before she knew it, she had pulled those closed shades up, unleashing all of her hopes. It was only to have them fall again. The fire-escape was empty. And why shouldn't it be? Tonight was no different than any other night. Gwen bit her lower lip with an agonizing mixture of pain and anger. Her legs were tense with frustration. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to be in her room a second longer. Without a second thought, Gwen changed into a pair of jeans, threw on a jacket and a pair of boots, and quietly left the apartment.

* * *

Half an hour later, Gwen found herself aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. Somewhere deep inside of her, she knew that leaving her apartment to walk through New York in the middle of the night was one of the more reckless decisions she had ever made. But she couldn't stay in her room, looking out at that eternally empty fireplace and dreaming a dream that could not be. So she had left, sneaking out silently so as not to wake her family. Her mother would probably flip if she found out; yes, she had encouraged Gwen to be with friends, but not go out alone in the dark streets and alleyways. But Gwen had noticed early on that the streets were strangely calm, with only the frequent car or taxi speeding past. The only people she came across were either sleeping homeless or hand-holding couples (the latter sending shocks of disgusted envy through her.) And, for the record, Gwen had been exposed to much worse. She had used a blow torch on a lizard, for crying out loud.

Thoughts of the Lizard sparked thoughts of Peter. Gwen stomped her boots against the pavement, which was slick from a recent drizzle. Where was that infuriating boy now? Was he sleepless and walking, or more likely in his case, swinging, through Manhattan like she was? She wondered if he thought about her half as much as she thought about him. With a twinge of pain, Gwen answered herself. No, there were times in which Peter didn't even acknowledge her and when he did, it was with a guarded, stand-offish air, as if he was nodding to a stranger. And even worse was his sudden…friendship with one Mary Jane Watson. Gwen hated that more than anything and, yes, she was not afraid to admit it, she was unbelievably jealous of all the time that Mary Jane and Peter were spending together. In fact, Gwen thought bitterly, every single time she had seen Peter in the past few days, he had been accompanied by the flirty redhead. She followed him everywhere, including Peter's locker, which was right across from Gwen's. Gwen couldn't help but gag at the sickeningly girlish giggles and simpers that filled the halls. Unintentionally, she'd slam her locker shut quite violently, causing multiple heads to glance in her direction, including, she had once noticed, Peter's. She was determined not to make eye-contact with him. He was probably perfectly happy with the company of the slim, beautiful, and horrendously ditzy Mary Jane. She and Gwen had been very close friends in their freshman year, but then Gwen realized that Mary Jane was a two-faced, manipulative airhead who only cared about popularity…needless to say, that friendship hadn't ended very well.

The calamity was shattered like glass by sudden screams, ripping Gwen from her bitter thoughts.

"Help me! Please somebody-"

"Shut up! I said, SHUT UP!"

Gwen froze. She listened, alert, for the approximate location of continuous shrieks. She stepped slowly, cautiously past a shabby convenience store, and peeked around the corner of the brick building. Her heart stopped and she had to cover her mouth to hold in a gasp. Just a few feet down, a girl Gwen recognized from school was being pinned against the building by a short, squat thug. Another man stood behind him, flexing his muscles and looking threatening. The man yelled something incomprehensible to the girl and she screamed again.

"I don't know, I don't know! Please…someone…!"

"Hey!" Gwen found herself shouting before she could stop herself. The short man ignored her and continued to shout at the girl, who was sobbing, but the big man turned his head to Gwen. "Hey! Stop it!"

The short man finally glanced at her. He did not release the girl, but stared at Gwen, his eyes hard.

"Just walk away, little girl," he said dismissively, his voice low. Gwen ignored him. She didn't take orders from just anybody, especially not a criminal. She was her father's daughter, after all. The man raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm not going to say it again," he growled. "This isn't your business, so get out of here before we make you."

Gwen bit her lip to keep it from trembling, but remained where she was. When she spoke, however, she could not stop her voice from shaking.

"I'm not leaving until you let her go."

The man paused, his eyes glinting. Without warning, he released his grip on the girl. She fell to the ground in a weak heap. Instinctively, Gwen started forward to help her up, but the short man grabbed her by the arm.

"Not so fast," he whispered. Gwen flinched away from his rank breath. Suddenly, he swung his fist up, aimed right for Gwen's nose. She turned her head quickly and his knuckles scraped her cheek. Pain shot up the side of her face.

"Oh, you did not just do that…" Gwen breathed heatedly, her eyes wide. Without hesitation, she thrust her knee up, hitting him directly in the gut. He doubled over, groaning with agony. Gwen blinked, a little surprised at herself. Her father had taught her how to bring someone down, but she had never really had an opportunity to apply it before. There was no time to be impressed though because although the smaller man was still writhing on the ground, the bigger man was not. He neared her with a deadly stare. Gwen glanced back, hoping to help her classmate up and run but when she looked…the girl was gone.

_Great_, Gwen thought, _so much for gratitude_. She was alone.

"You're messing with the wrong people." The big man spoke in a surprisingly high voice, like a humorless Muppet. Gwen would have found it funny had she not been turning pale as a sheet with panic. The other guy was one thing, but this one…no matter how silly his voice sounded Gwen knew that there was no way she would even make a dent in him. She tried to speak, to potentially reason with him, but her voice seemed to have disappeared. Every step he took closer to her, Gwen took another one away until her back hit the brick of the building. He leered in at her, his brutish figures smiling unkindly. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable blow. It never came. Instead, a familiar voice filled her ears.

"_You_ are messing with the wrong people, buddy."

* * *

**Oooohhh, what happens next? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! I know that that was mainly angst from Gwen, but the second part will have much more action and a lot more Gwen/Peter interaction. Trust me though, if I had posted it all as one chapter, it would have been **_**excessively**_** long. Unnaturally and annoyingly long. So, they've been split in half. **

**On another note, is anyone else really enjoying the names of the most recent winter storms? Winter Storm Draco followed by Winter Storm Gandalf…my inner fantasy nerd is very pleased.**

**Please review!**


	5. Dreams part 2

**PART TWO! This is my quickest update ever, so if you're reading this and haven't read part one, make sure to go back to chapter 4 and read it! Or else, it might be a little confusing. Side note from last time, there's a spot in there in which it says 'eternally empty fireplace'…by that I definitely meant 'eternally empt**_**y **_**fire**_** escape'**_**….Here's to anyone who caught the Les Mis reference in part one's title. Please excuse the excruciatingly Disney Princess title of part two.**

**Disclaimer: Again, don't own anything Spiderman! **

Dreams Can Come True

"_You_ are messing with the wrong people, buddy."

Gwen's eyes snapped open and her heart leapt because right in front of her was the back of the head of Spider-man.

"Oh, not you!" the thug said in a borderline whiney voice.

"Well, I can't say it's very nice to see you, either." Peter shrugged. The part of Gwen that was not rushing with adrenaline was amazed at how relaxed he sounded. "Now, I suggest that you, and your four friends hiding in the shadows, do us all a favor and leave...before I make you."

The man leaned in close to Peter, but the latter did not flinch away. Gwen wouldn't have known that he felt threatened if it weren't for how he subtly reached his right hand back and held Gwen's arm protectively. Her heart did a little flip at his touch, but she ordered it to stop…now was not the time to become giddy.

"I'd like to see you try." The man said lowly in a taunting voice. Peter considered this.

"You asked for it, then."

Peter easily blocked the man's punch with his left arm. He kicked his chest, causing him to fly back several feet and land on some garbage cans with a series of thunderous clangs. Peter spun around, taking Gwen by her shoulders. She gripped his forearms to keep her quivering legs from falling out from under her.

"You've got to get out of here." He said firmly. "Go home."

"But-" Gwen started. Suddenly, the thug's accomplices were slowly creeping out of the shadows.

"Here, Spidey, Spidey…" they sneered. One, Gwen noticed with horror, was holding a gun to his hip.

"I'll be fine. I'll meet you there, okay?" Peter urged her. "Go!"

Gwen impulsively squeezed his arms and then ran. She heard the fight begin; the cries of pain that the thugs were emitting relieved her. She sprinted, faster and faster, hoping to keep as inconspicuous as possible. The clicking of her boots on the wet pavement did not help. In fact, they were click-clacking so loudly, that it took Gwen a full few minutes to recognize the sounds of the other footsteps behind her. She whipped around, momentarily immobile. A figure was running at her through the darkness. Gwen's eyes widened and she spun on her heel and darted forward. It was the first man, the one she had kicked in the stomach. She could hear his yells behind her getting closer and closer. She sped up and glanced over her shoulder. He was gaining up. In seconds he could reach out and grab her ankle.

Suddenly, Gwen was flung back. Her face had collided with something cold, metal, and wiry. She landed firmly on her butt. Dazed, she looked up. Had she not been checking over her shoulder while running, she would have seen a chain-link fence blocking her way. Unfortunately, she had been looking away and therefore was unable to stop herself from running into it.

"Not so smart, are you?" The man had caught up with her and was sneering down at her. Gwen glared and kicked his legs out from under him. There was no way she was going down without a fight. He hit the ground with a loud thud and, despite the throbbing pain of her rear-end, Gwen sprung to her feet. He grabbed her ankle before she could run and pulled out a short, but sharp knife, and used it to draw a line down her thigh. Gwen could not help the scream of pain that escaped her. She managed to jerk her leg away before the knife reached her ankle and, with the other foot, kicked the man once more, this time a little lower than she had before. She kicked again, just for good measure. He rolled over, emitting loud moans of pain. He probably wouldn't be able to stand for days.

Gwen released all the breath in her lungs and fell back against the fence, her shaking legs overpowering her. She could feel blood trickling out of the newly formed tear in her jeans but she refused to look at it. The knife had slit her boots. She could feel the spilt parts flap as she trembled…good thing these were her oldest pair. She closed her eyes, bit her lip, and leaned into the fence, her fingers gripping the thin metal. The cut didn't even hurt, but Gwen was in shock and she knew that once that went away, it would hurt like hell. Everything inside her tensed and she could feel herself blacking out from the terror…she tried to pull herself up and out of the darkness, but it was coming fast.

"Gwen?!" Peter's voice, strong and desperate, made Gwen's eyes snap open. She looked up at the sky, barely visible between the tall brick buildings. A few stars peeked timidly down at her.

"Here…" she tried to yell, her voice tight in her throat. But Peter couldn't hear her.

"Gwen!" he kept calling. "Gwen, where are-argh!"

A gunshot pierced the air. Gwen's heart stopped. No…

"No!" she screamed. Ignoring the bloody gash on her left leg, Gwen ran forward to the sound. _Come on Peter_, she silently pleaded, _yell for me again! _She felt her leg twinge out from under her, causing her to fall onto a recycling bin for support. Something moved above her. Something red and blue….

"Thank god…" she croaked. "Down here!"

Peter dropped to the ground in front of her. His shoulder was slick with blood where there was a large bullet hole.

"Peter, are you—"

Before Gwen could finish, Peter had wrapped his arms around her, holding her head to his. Gwen froze; she could feel his chest rise and fall quickly. Or was it hers? She returned his embrace, hugging him firmly, as if to never let go.

"Hold on tight," he whispered in her ear once he could find his voice. There was no telling Gwen twice. Peter shot a web up into the air and in seconds, Gwen felt the swooping sensation deep in her stomach that was only caused by two things: roller coasters and Peter Parker. She didn't know where he was taking her and, suddenly, she realized she didn't care. For the most part, she felt frighteningly surreal, like she wasn't clinging onto her one and only love as he swung her through New York. Maybe this is just another dream, she thought distantly, maybe I never got up to for a walk and in two seconds, I'll wake up in my room, just as frustrated as before.

Moments later, Gwen was in her room, and beginning to realize that none of it had been a dream. The walk was real, the thugs were real, the running and the cut on her leg…they were real. And Peter was real. He was hugging her tightly, like he didn't want to drop her, even though they were no longer airborne. He was whispering something, but Gwen's ears felt like they'd turned off. Everything was a blur…her heart thumped like a drum, her leg throbbed and…were those tears on her cheeks?

"I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" Peter was repeating, over and over. The sound of his voice cleared Gwen's head. She blinked and a few more tears escaped her eyes. All of the emotions she had been suppressing for so long seemed to have broken out of her like escaped convicts. She didn't even remember coming into her room. She must have blacked out completely.

"Peter…" she said, her voice rasping. She pulled away from him so that she could look into his eyes. His mask was off and Gwen barely suppressed a gasp. His face was covered with bruises and cuts. She shouldn't have been so surprised; he came to school with injuries like these nearly every day. Gwen supposed that there was just no getting used to it. She took a deep shaky breath, very aware of his arms still wrapped around her. "Peter…"

But words had, for once, failed her. She took in his face and gently brushed her fingertips over his cheek. His eyes welled. Tracks of tears were already engraved down his face and Gwen had a feeling that they were for more than what had just happened.

"Gwen," Peter whispered. He swallowed. "I'm so…so sorry."

Gwen still couldn't speak, dumbfounded. She shook her head and tried weakly to smile, running her hands lightly down the sides of his head. He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to hers. Gwen sniffed, searching for the right words.

"I can't...I can't keep doing this," she breathed once she had found it. "We can't keep doing this, Peter."

Peter opened his eyes and stared into hers. Gwen touched her nose to his.

"I need you." She whispered, blinking out a few more tears. Peter nodded.

"I need you, too…I need you more than I can even say." He murmured. Gwen looked down and she waited for him to say the inevitable 'I promised your father'. Peter tilted her head up with his fingers. Gwen was astonished to see a sort of defiance in his eyes. "I can't keep going without you."

Gwen remained silent, every muscle in her body tensed. The gash on her leg let out a giant throb of pain, but Gwen ignored it.

"I promised your father but…I-I just can't do it anymore." Peter continued. "I didn't ask you how you felt about it, I didn't even…I haven't been there for you like…like I should have been. And I'm…I'm so sorry for that. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, Gwen, but…I love you. And I just can't stay away any longer."

Gwen silenced him suddenly, pressing her lips against his. They felt just like they did in the dream. No, they felt better. Peter was shocked for a second; usually this happened the other way around. He got over the shock, however, and kissed Gwen back tenderly, trying to convey everything he felt. He never thought breaking the promise would be that simple. Gwen pulled away suddenly, her eyes clear. Peter blinked, nervous.

"Peter!" she exclaimed sharply. "You've just been shot!"

Peter glanced down at the bullet wound in his shoulder. He had honestly forgotten about it until then. He had been so focused on getting Gwen home safely that he hadn't even noticed the pain. He was just about to shrug it off when something dark and red caught his eye.

"What happened to your leg?" he exclaimed, equally incredulous. He looked, wide-eyed with shock, at Gwen. They stared at each other a minute, both horrified at the other's injury. Gwen blinked.

"We better get that cleaned up." She said, suddenly all business. She limped to her dresser, searching for the first aid kit. With her back to him, she allowed her cheeks to burn bright red. The surreal feeling had disappeared and this was all too real. Gwen was surprised how quickly Peter had gone back on the promise. Surprised, but relieved. Her lips were warm with that kiss…that sudden and beautiful kiss that filled her with assurance.

"I'm fine, Gwen…we need to take care of your leg." Peter mumbled, though he was rubbing the area around his wound. He had been thinking much the same thing as Gwen and was happy her back was turned to him. A hot blush worked its way up his cheeks and he was amazed at how suddenly the air had changed between them; how it was almost like before…

"Tis but a scratch," Gwen said, waving his words away. She shifted around her socks to uncover the large, square box. "And that hole in your arm is anything but fine."

Peter scowled, sighing. "Okay. But that's definitely not just a scratch."

Gwen turned back to him, first aid kit in hand. "Alright, you get mine, and I'll get yours…how does that sound?"

Peter accepted this, suppressing a small, goofy grin. Gwen bit her lip to keep hers away too. She set the first aid kit on the bed before hobbling back to the dresser and pulling out a pair of shorts. Slowly, she turned her head to Peter, feeling a little uncomfortable. There was no way he could clean her cut with her jeans covering it.

"Umm…close your eyes for a minute." She said finally, trying to keep her voice steady. Peter hesitated for a second and then did as he was told. Gwen slipped off the boot of the unaffected leg first. She closed her eyes as she took off the other. Peter was right. The cut was definitely not just a scratch. Pain throbbed from it, but Gwen was more freaked to see how much blood it was emitting rather than how much it hurt. She tried to peel off her jeans without looking, but that wasn't going to happen. Bracing herself, Gwen opened her eyes.

"Ohmygod…" she gasped.

"What?" Peter asked, instinctively, and mistakenly, opening his eyes. They widened when he saw Gwen, jeans halfway down her legs, staring at her cut with revulsion. Peter shut his eyes quickly, before she could know he had seen anything. "What?"

"This is…a lot of blood…" Gwen breathed. She had never become immune to the sight of blood. It had terrified her as a child and still sent chills down her spine. Taking a deep breath, Gwen slipped the fabric carefully down the rest of her leg, biting her lip when it rubbed against the gash. She wiped her hands clean, threw the jeans in the direction of the trash bin and pulled the shorts on. She turned to Peter, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, eyes squeezed shut. Her heart did a little spasm. How was this even true? After so long of longing, of wanting Peter to be here….And now all of the sudden there he was on her bed...

"Can I open my eyes now?" Peter asked, sounding like a little kid. Gwen shook her previous thoughts out of her head. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe," Gwen smirked, limping back to the bed. Peter opened his eyes, smiling faintly, and moved the first aid kit out of Gwen's way. She set herself on the bed, curling her good leg into her body and gently sliding the other one as close to Peter as it would go. Peter glanced down at it worriedly. Gwen reached forward and smoothed some of his hair away from his face. Her hands fell to his neck, where she fumbled for the tiny zipper in his suit before sliding it down to about the small of his back. Peter looked up at her, his eyes serious as she peeled the spandex off of his chest and arms.

"I meant what I said, Gwen." Peter murmured. Gwen's eyes found his, filled with a mixture of emotions. "I really…I really should have been there for you and I wasn't. But I want to be now and I know you've been really pissed at me and it's a lot to ask for you to just…forgive me."

Gwen's eyes hardened. "Peter Parker, don't you make me kiss you again."

Peter paused. "In that case maybe I should just keep talking." He said, completely dead-pan. Gwen's eyes softened and her lips curved. Ever so slowly, she leaned forward and brushed them the slightest bit against his. Peter smiled and let out a breathy laugh. He sat forward to kiss her again, but Gwen pushed him away.

"Not until we get this bullet out of you, bug-boy," Gwen said. The 'bug-boy' part had come out so naturally…it was as if they had time-traveled back a couple of months to the very first night she had called him that. He had been hurt then too, but so much had been different.

Silently, Peter and Gwen took out the necessary supplies from the first aid kit, their fingers touching occasionally, sometimes lingering. They each readied swabs of antibacterial liquid. Gwen looked into Peter's eyes. They linked fingers with their free hands, both anticipating the sting of the cleanser.

"One…" Peter whispered.

"Two…" Gwen breathed.

"Three!"

Their fingers tightened, Peter being careful not to break Gwen's, as they cleaned out the wounds. Gwen gritted her teeth in pain, squeezing her eyes shut. After a few agonizing minutes, she breathed again. Wordlessly, she got out a long pair of tweezers, dipped them in antiseptic, and started to pry the bullet out of Peter's shoulder.

"Hold still," she told him when he wriggled. Again, Gwen took in the weirdness of this situation. How had it been that easy to forgive him? Had it been too soon to kiss him, to hold his hand, to have the fiery connection that crackled between them? No, she answered herself. She had never been so sure of anything. She and Peter were going to be just fine…his wound, on the other hand…

"This is really deep!" Gwen exclaimed, trying not to hurt him more as she wedged the tweezers in deeper. She hit something solid and Peter winced.

"You should have seen the one last week," he groaned. Gwen, who had just gripped the bullet in the tweezers, froze.

"You got shot last week?" she asked. Peter nodded, eyes scrunched tight. "How did you get it out? Why didn't you come over?"

Peter raised his eyebrows, eyes still closed. Gwen sighed. That was a dumb question

"You still could have come over…" she said smoothly. Peter shrugged using his good shoulder. Gwen bit her lip and couldn't help her words from flooding out of her. "Did Mary Jane help you?"

"Mary Jane?" Peter repeated, as if it was the name of a disease, rather than a person. "Why would I get help from her?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. She yanked the bullet out of Peter's arm a little too quickly. His eyes blinked open and he bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately…I just thought…maybe…"

"She's been trying to get me to be her partner for this Biology project," Peter explained, a little breathless and completely missing Gwen's point. When he saw Gwen's face however, realization hit him like a freight train. "Whoa, ok, before you even say it, no, no, and no. There is absolutely nothing going on between Mary Jane Watson and me."

Gwen hoped her relief was not too obvious.

"Oh," she said a little too lightly. Peter smiled meaningfully at her, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger. He sat up and this time Gwen let him kiss her. God, she could kiss him forever! Tingles ran up and down her spine and a whole fleet of butterflies had been let loose in her stomach. Peter sat back and Gwen followed him, hungry for his lips on hers. But moving reminded her leg that it was injured. She and Peter surfaced. Peter was grinning stupidly at her and Gwen was sure that her face was a mirror of his.

"These are never going to heal if we keep this up," Gwen whispered. Peter let out a chuckle. He gave her another peck on the lips.

"Maybe we should just let them rot." He smiled. He took out a medical wipe and began to clean her leg. Gwen did the same for his shoulder. They fixed each other up in silence, although a boiling tension was rising up between them. Gwen distantly thought of her mother's old quote, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'. Was that true, or what? She patted a giant bandage over his shoulder. Peter wrapped gauze around her leg, his hardened fingers surprisingly light, tickling the uninjured part of Gwen's leg. She couldn't help but giggle. Peter looked up at her, surprised for a moment, but once he realized what she was laughing about, he continued to run his fingers lightly along her knee. Gwen covered her mouth so that her laughter wouldn't wake the rest of her family. Suddenly, it seemed, she remembered that they were in the same apartment.

Someone knocked on her door. Peter stopped and Gwen silenced.

"Gwen?" said her mother's hushed voice. Gwen's eyes widened. Peter rolled noiselessly off of the bed and hid behind it. Gwen tip-toed to the door and opened it a fraction. Her mother was standing in the hall in a pink bathrobe, her arms folded across her chest. She did not look happy.

"What's going on?" she whisper-snapped.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Gwen smiled innocently, hiding the part of her face that was bruised. "I…it's really weird, actually, I forgot to turn my phone off and one of my friends called."

Her mother's face did not move and, for a second, Gwen thought she was busted.

"Who was it?" Helen Stacy asked skeptically.

"Peter Parker." Gwen said the first name she could think of. Her mom raised an eyebrow.

"Peter Parker?" she repeated. "I thought you said you two don't talk anymore?"

Gwen nodded, eyes round. "Yeah, yeah, we, um…we don't. It was a – he accidentally called me. You know…butt dialing…"

Her mother still didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. She turned away, but seemed to think the better of it.

"Well…be sure to call him back, okay honey?" she sighed. "I think he's a very nice boy. He obviously likes you if he's calling you at almost two in the morning."

Gwen opened her mouth, closed it, and then smiled, nodding. "Sorry I woke you up, Mom."

"It's alright, hon, just go back to sleep." Her mother smiled sleepily. Gwen closed the door and turned her back to it. Peter crawled back out of hiding, smiling. Gwen rolled her eyes and limped to sit beside him on the bed. He laced his fingers through hers.

"So…this isn't just a temporary thing, right, Peter?" Gwen asked quietly, though it was more of a statement. She just wanted to get it out there. "We're really going to do this."

"We're really going to." Peter murmured, cupping her face in his hand. Gwen ran her fingers through his hair. They got closer and closer until their lips were touching. The kiss was soft and gentle, but there was a deeper passion behind it. Peter supported Gwen's leg and lifted it over his. Together they lay down, side by side. The kiss grew deeper and deeper and Gwen's soul felt like it was waking up after a long sleep. She remembered her dream and pulled away.

"Promise me I'm not dreaming." She murmured, her nose ghosting against Peter's. Peter grinned.

"You're not dreaming…" he whispered back. Gwen looked deep into his eyes before kissing him again, pulling her fingers through his hair, and shifting her shoulders beneath his.

She was not asleep and Peter was not going to disappear in her arms. This was real. And he was her dream come true.

**Well, there you have it…3,824 words of Gwen and Peter. I think the entire one shot, parts one and two put together, come to about 6,000 words! Crazy! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it…. The way Peter and Gwen get back together might seem a little (or a lot) sudden, but that's just life isn't it? The most important things happen in seconds. How philosophical of me. :P**

**Please leave a review! Even if it's just one sentence…even one word would be fine :-) Thank you again to everyone who's already left a review!**

**The next one-shot should be up in the nearish future, so stay tuned! **


	6. The Little Big Words

**I am so sorry for the delay in this oneshot! Ah! It's been forever. Portland has been through an ice storm and back, which somehow gave me bad writer's block. Anyway, this one is long, so that makes up for it…right? But really, this is a long one. I don't know how it happened…it sort of just wrote itself after a while.**

**PLEASE REVIEW WHEN YOU'RE DONE :-D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman!**

The Little Big Words

"Well?" Gwen asked wearily, lifting her head off of Peter's shoulder. They were sitting on the bleachers, soaking in the warm spring sun and eating lunch. "What do you think?"

Peter hesitated. "I think a date with you sounds perfect…" he said slowly. "A double date with Mary Jane and Harry...not so much…"  
"I know," Gwen sighed. "That's how I feel but…she's been really nice lately and I think she really wants to be friends again. I don't want to discourage her."

"But after all you said she's done to you?" Peter reasoned. "After all she's put you through, you still want to try and repair your friendship?"

Gwen contemplated for a moment, taking a bite of her sandwich. She swallowed and said in a tiny, thoughtful voice,

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

Peter, his head lowered, looked up at her with intent eyes. Gwen had not said it to intend Peter to feel guilty, but he couldn't help the slight pang that ran through him. Gwen had given him a second chance, even though he had broken her heart and wasn't there when she had needed him the most. The guilt he felt for that was constantly in the back of his mind, with all of the other things he felt responsible for, and he could not help thinking about it now. Gwen hadn't been implying anything, though. She really felt that everyone and everything could change for the better.

"You're amazing." Peter said suddenly, breaking Gwen out of her thoughtful silence. A bemused smile slid across her face.

"Peter-" she started, shaking her head with amusement. Peter shook his head too, grinning.

"No, I'm serious." He said, lacing his fingers through hers. "You…you're really amazing. The way you can just…believe in people. It's amazing."

Gwen didn't know what to say. She didn't have to though; Peter leaned in and kissed her gently, running his fingers up and down her jaw line. Gwen smiled against his lips, dropped her half-eaten sandwich on the metal seat of the bleachers and ran her fingers through Peter's hair, kissing him back with fervor. When they finally broke apart to breathe, Gwen could not stop a goofy grin from filling her entire being.

"I love you." She murmured suddenly. Peter's eyes widened and Gwen's grin slipped away, her eyes round as saucers. Neither of them had ever said that before. They had both, of course, felt it, but never had they spoken it. Every time Peter had tried, he got too nervous and the words couldn't come out.

"I love you," he said, now with intense sincerity and sureness. He smiled, tucking a piece of Gwen's hair behind her ear. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you that."

Gwen's eyes sparkled. "I think I have some idea."

Peter grinned mischievously. Gwen giggled and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. They nuzzled their noses together.

"I love you," Peter said again.

"I love you," Gwen whispered. The words slipped from their tongues with excitement, both of them giggling as their fingers and noses and lips tickled together. Gwen knew it was perhaps sappy to repeat those three words and cuddle in such a storybook-sweet way, but she didn't care. She really did love Peter and wanted to make the most of their moments together…even if they were cheesy. He kissed her again, this time much more passionately. Gwen let out a throaty giggle, swaying with Peter's embrace. She once again pulled her fingers through his hair, a movement she thought she could never get tired of. She could twist up his thick locks forever. She pushed her lips forward, kissing him harder. Peter slid his hand up and down her back. Gwen felt her whole soul light up, a feeling that only Peter gave her. She could feel everything slip away, she was going to dissolve completely, all that existed was Peter…

And suddenly, her phone rang. Peter and Gwen let go of each other's lips, both rolling their eyes. Gwen wriggled her phone out of her pocket and Peter stroked her knee with his thumb, tickling Gwen even through her jeans. She kept a hand in his hair as she answered the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Gwennie!" Mary Jane's high voice exclaimed. Gwen nearly jumped away from the phone. She pretended not to see Peter wrinkle his nose with disgust. "Where are you? I thought we were going to meet in the library, like, forever ago!"

"I'm sorry," Gwen sighed. "Peter and I are…we're doing homework."

Peter smirked at her. Gwen pecked his lips.

"Homework?" Mary Jane repeated skeptically. "I'm sure….have you asked him yet? What did he say?"

"Well…" Gwen stalled intentionally. "We're…I mean…if we have time we'd—"

"Okay, then, tomorrow night?"

"Well, I guess that could work but—"

"Ooh! Harry's calling me! We'll see you lovebirds tomorrow!"

She hung up before Gwen could even stammer out a goodbye.

"So much for getting out of that one," Gwen rolled her eyes. She put her phone into her bag and then leaned forward, resting her head on Peter's shoulder. "Does tomorrow work for you?"

"It should," Peter said, kissing the spot right above Gwen's ponytail and wrapping his arms around her. Gwen smiled against him.

"I hope it does," she sighed. "Because there is no way I'm going to be the third wheel…especially with those two."

"I don't know, that sounds like a pretty fun night to me," Peter said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Gwen laughed.

"Oh yeah, just a great little party," she huffed. Peter smiled and hugged her closer.

"Well, don't worry," he murmured. "Unless the sky is falling down around our ankles, I'll be there with you."

Gwen looked up at the starry sky, still perfectly intact and high above rather than at her feet, just as it should be. And yet, her web-shooting, wall-climbing boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. Gwen felt her heart tighten a little. She was standing outside of Elite, a new and upscale restaurant that Mary Jane had been dead-set on going to. Mary Jane, clad in a slim-fitting green dress that plunged a little too far down her chest and high black heels, was hanging onto the arm of her boyfriend, Harry Osborne. Harry was very kind and handsome enough, especially in his black dress suit and slacks. Gwen felt mildly underdressed and more than mildly awkward standing next to them. She hadn't expected the restaurant to ask for such fancy attire and had picked out a more casual, primary blue dress with lace covering the solid fabric of the skirt and silver ballet flats. She could only hope that Peter had remembered his suit, but knowing him and since he was already quite late, she could only guess that he was currently donning an entirely different suit.

"Maybe we should just go in," Gwen said finally, still looking up at the sky, this time for a sign of the masked Spider-man. Mary Jane held tighter to Harry's arm, watching Gwen with sympathy.

"Are you sure, Gwen? I mean, we can wait out here a little longer if you want…" Mary Jane offered, though she sounded a little anxious. Gwen shook her head absentmindedly.

"No…" she breathed, eyes still searching the night. Mary Jane stared at her intensely and Gwen blinked quickly. She cleared her throat and added in a more solid voice, "No, let's go in. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Mary Jane hesitated, glancing up at Harry for reassurance. He nodded.

"Alright, let's go then." Mary Jane squealed, not bothering to keep the excitement out of her voice. She and Harry led the way up to the glass, French-styled doors. Gwen followed them, glancing over her shoulder, her eyes sweeping the rough streets that made the restaurant look extremely out of place. She was just about to step through the doors when something caught her eye and she did a double take.

"You two go in," Gwen told the couple ahead of her suddenly. "I'll meet you in there in a minute."

She hurried away before either of them could respond. Checking for traffic, Gwen sprinted across the street, all of her breath stuck in her chest. She stopped in front of a TV shop, joining the small crowd already surrounding it. Heart pounding loudly, she watched the news replay that was reeling on one of the widescreens. The camera zoomed in on a slim figure swinging from one building to another until, quite suddenly, a long streak of what appeared to be fire shot out at it. The flame obscured almost everything, but the swinging figure could be seen falling to the ground. The newscaster's narration could just barely be heard through the glass window.

"…and it appears that Spiderman may be extremely injured…" his official voice stated. "Authorities are, however, unable to near the scene due to the dangerous situation…it remains unclear whether or not…"

Gwen pressed her hand to her mouth, terror filling her. The crowd gasped as Spiderman shot a web up to the sky, only to have another burst of flame aimed at him. Gwen turned away. She couldn't watch this anymore. Her eyes stung.

"Mommy?" A little boy next to her was tugging on his mother's sleeve. "Is Spiderman going to be ok?"

"I don't know, sweetheart…" The mother answered, sounding concerned and doubtful. Gwen bit her lip and walked quickly away. She knew it was illogical and that there was no way he would pick up, but she pulled her phone out of her purse anyway and dialed Peter's number.

"Hey, this is Peter, sorry I missed your call, but leave a message and I'll get back to you." Peter's voice mumbled in her ear after a few rings. Gwen swallowed.

"Hey, Peter…it's me…I just…I saw the news and I know you probably can't pick up, but I need to know that you're ok." Gwen stammered, running her fingers through her hair and ruining the curls her mother had worked so hard on. "I…I don't know what to do really, but…please, please, just be ok and alive…"

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut to keep the sobs away. She could not help her voice from wavering, though.

"I love you, Peter…" she murmured before hanging up. She put her phone away and then held her head in her hands. Should she try to find him? He could be, for all anyone knew, dying in some alleyway. No, she pushed the thought away. He wasn't going to die tonight. He was Spiderman and more importantly, he was Peter, her Peter…he was strong. But no assurance of his strength could stop Gwen's worry. She couldn't decide what to do. She didn't know whether or not to go into the restaurant and just keep hoping that Peter would show up or…do something else. What that something else was, she had no idea. She took out her phone to call him again when it rang suddenly, alerting her of a text. PETER, the screen told her. Gwen opened the message quickly.

Saw you called. Be there soon. Love you.

A wave of relief washed over her. The text was short, but it was at least a sign that Peter was alive. But Gwen was still not completely worry-free and she knew she wouldn't be until she saw him. She turned back and went into the restaurant.

The inside was a fancy shock in comparison to the street outside. While the streets were grime and dirt, the restaurant was a world of crystal and cream colored fabrics. The attendant led Gwen to Harry and Mary Jane's table. Mary Jane turned and waved at her.

"Where did you run off to?" she exclaimed. Gwen sat down across from her.

"I had to call Peter," she explained, trying to sound casual. "He said he's on his way."

The other two nodded and promptly began conversation. Gwen was only half paying attention. She was facing the door, so her eyes would constantly dart over to it. Her heart leapt every time it opened, only to fall when a large, snotty looking man or a stick-thin, pretentious woman walked in instead of Peter. After a while, she gave up and really did try to listen to Mary Jane and Harry talk about Lena Rocher's new haircut and how it made her face look like a squash.

"But then again, Lena's face has always looked like a squash," Mary Jane commented wistfully. Gwen laughed faintly and heard the door open. She dared herself not to look up, but she couldn't take it. The familiar brown mop of hair greeted her, but she couldn't release a sigh of relief, not yet, not she was sure he was real. The attendant pointed out the way and Peter's eyes locked with hers. They glowed warmly. He came towards them and Gwen felt her cheeks burn suddenly because…Peter looked…_hot._ Of course, Gwen had always thought that, but this was something different.

His hair was perfectly tousled as usual, his face surprisingly not bruised or scratched. He wore a slim-fitted black suit jacket with a white button up, a blue tie that matched Gwen's dress exactly, denim jeans, and black converse. Gwen's stomach flip-flopped as he came up the stairs and to the table. She couldn't help but stare at him in amazement. She hadn't seen him this clean in…well, ever.

"Hey," he greeted everyone, though his eyes never left Gwen's. He bent over and pecked her gently on the cheek, taking her hand and sitting down beside her. "Sorry I'm late…you wouldn't believe the traffic coming here."

Harry made some comment about not remembering any traffic on the way, but Gwen didn't hear him. She and Peter were lost in each other's eyes. She knew that her fear and relief was all too obvious. She took his hand in both of hers. Peter squeezed her fingers reassuringly, making circles on her knuckles with his thumb.

"Well, you look very nice tonight, Peter," Mary Jane said, reminding Gwen that she and Peter weren't the only people in the room. She looked at Mary Jane; the redhead's eyes were wide as she took Peter in, as if she was getting a really good look at him for the first time. Gwen felt a little stab of heat.

"He does," she said, turning and kissing him for a little longer than necessary. When they broke apart, Peter had a small, knowing smirk on his face. Gwen kicked his leg lightly underneath the table.

"So," Harry said slowly, his voice the slightest bit stiff. Gwen glanced up at him and got the distinct impression that he too was a little put off by Mary Jane's compliment. "Peter. You're a photographer?"

"Yeah, sort of," Peter nodded. "It's really only a hobby."

"Really?" Harry asked, genuinely surprised. "I've seen some of your pictures and they look pretty professional to me."

Peter looked just as surprised. "Thanks."

Harry nodded, picking up his menu simultaneously. The table went quiet. Everyone let out a long, perfectly timed sigh. Mary Jane was staring at her plate, a strange look on her face, and her hands in tight knots in her lap. Gwen and Peter blinked at the couple sitting across from them before looking at each other with raised eyebrows. In unison they lifted their menus, subtly covering their faces.

"Are they always like this?" Peter whispered.

"Maybe they're just tired?" Gwen whispered back, leaning in so close to Peter that their noses were almost touching. Together, they turned their heads and peeked up above the menus to see…Harry and Mary Jane's lips were glued together, her hands hidden in his hair.

"Or not," Gwen said, breathing out a laugh and turning back to Peter behind their menu shield. Her smile faded the slightest bit and her previous fear for him filled her again.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "What happened?"

Peter scrunched his eyebrows together, something he did when he was concerned or thinking. He squeezed her hand and was about to answer when a voice stopped him.

"Excuse me," a haughty looking waiter stood at the head of the table, eying Mary Jane and Harry with disapproval. They leapt apart, not making eye-contact with anyone. "Someone has complained. If you are unable to restrain yourself from such _vulgar_ physical affection, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Gwen and Peter set their menus down. Mary Jane and Harry stayed silent. Mary Jane's cheeks were almost as red as her hair. Gwen had to resist the sudden urge to giggle.

"It won't happen again," Gwen said smoothly when it was obvious that neither of the accused were going to speak up. "Please tell whoever complained that we're all very, very sorry."

The waiter nodded at her, smiling approvingly. He asked, looking very specifically only at Gwen and Peter, if anyone was ready to order.

"I think we're going to need a little more time to decide," Peter answered politely. He hadn't even so much as glanced at the menu. The waiter nodded and went off to tend to another table. Gwen and Peter exchanged a look that was both amused and bewildered. Harry was tugging at the collar of his shirt, extremely uncomfortable. Mary Jane was still looking down at her plate.

"So, Mary Jane," Gwen said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "How is the musical going?"

Mary Jane's eyebrows raised and she looked up at Gwen.

"It's…going fine," she said, surprised. Gwen nodded, smiling. Mary Jane breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful for the change of subject. "Actually, the director is probably the biggest pain I've ever endured…"

And that began a long bout of chattering about everything wrong with the show. Gwen had to try especially hard to focus on everything and look interested. The waiter returned and took their orders, but even after that, Mary Jane was not finished. By the time she finally did stop, Peter and Harry were already deep in their own conversation, Harry looking significantly more relaxed.

"I don't know, man, I think the fact that we don't know who he is makes him more of a symbol," He was saying.

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "He could be absolutely anyone. Any normal guy…"

Gwen had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Of course they would end up talking about this.

"'He' who?" Mary Jane asked.

"Spiderman," Harry told her, still absorbed in thought. Peter was watching him intently, interested in his opinion. "That's what's really amazing about him. I mean, when he's not out there risking his ass for this city, he's just like you or me."

Peter nodded, but his face remained forcibly expressionless. His hand embraced Gwen's a little tighter.

"You'll have to excuse Harry," Mary Jane said, looking at her boyfriend fondly. "Sometimes I think he likes Spiderman more than he likes me."

She giggled and kissed his cheek, but Harry just went a deep shade of red.

"Come on, MJ," Harry sighed, patting her hand. "I just…respect the guy."

"Who doesn't?" Gwen said quietly, pressing her knee inconspicuously to Peter's. Their eyes locked once more, Peter's holding a little more meaning than safely necessary. Luckily, Mary Jane and Harry were distracted by the arrival of three waiters, each holding a tray with dishes of food.

The rest of the dinner was relatively normal, with easy conversation. Both Peter and Gwen were more than a little relieved that Spiderman was not mentioned again. The food was good, but Gwen had to admit that she had expected a little more from such a fancy place. She was shocked when Harry announced, halfway through their meal, that he was going to cover the entire bill.

"Harry, you can't pay for everything," Gwen gaped. Harry shrugged.

"My dad gave me plenty of money," he said offhandedly.

"Come on, man, you've got to let us at least pay a little," Peter pressed, though it was apparent that the surely pricey bill was little more than a fly on his shoulder. Peter couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have that much money.

"Really, I want to." Harry insisted, grinning. "This has been really fun. I want to treat you all. Now say thank you and eat."

There was obviously no point in arguing, so the group did as he said. When everyone was finished eating, a relaxed silence filled the table. Gwen and Peter re-laced their fingers together and, though he tried to hide it, Gwen caught him yawn widely. She checked her watch, surprised to see that it was already ten o'clock. Her mother had told her to be home no later than eleven and Gwen still wanted to talk with Peter about what had happened…among other things…

"It's getting pretty late," she said, breaking the silence. "It's ten already."

"We should probably get going." Peter sighed, also checking his watch. "It's a pretty long walk back to your place."

Gwen nodded, but Harry frowned suddenly.

"Wait," he said. "I thought you said you drove here."

Gwen froze. Peter opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"What?" he asked once he had finally found his voice. Harry sat up a little straighter.

"You said that the traffic driving here was terrible…" he said, his voice holding a hint of accusation. Peter blinked.

"Yeah, yeah, I said that…" Peter stammered.

"He took a cab." Gwen interrupted. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"You took a cab?" He affirmed with Peter, who nodded. Harry sat back, though he still looked a little suspicious. Peter did not make eye-contact with anyone. Gwen chewed her lip nervously, feeling more than uncomfortable under Mary Jane's curious stare.

"Peter's right, though," Gwen said briskly, pushing her chair back. "I really need to be getting home."

Peter hopped out of his chair, a little too eagerly, and helped Gwen out of hers.

"We'll walk with you," Mary Jane offered brightly.

"No!" Peter and Gwen exclaimed in unison. They glanced at each other.

"I mean, no…" Gwen said. She raised her eyebrows suggestively at Mary Jane and then using her eyes to indicate Peter. Realization dawned on Mary Jane's face.

"Oooh, I get it," she grinned. "More homework."

Gwen's cheeks went bright red, as she nodded. "Exactly. Thank you both for a wonderful evening,"

"And I'm going to find a way to pay you back somehow, Harry," Peter laughed. Harry cocked an eyebrow back at him.

"Good luck with that," he said lightly. Peter's smile faltered, unsure of how to take that. Gwen looped her arm through his and they said their final goodbyes before hurrying out of the restaurant. Gwen let out a long sigh when the warm, outside air hit them.

"That was…interesting…" she said, struggling for the right word to describe it. Peter let out an airy laugh and nodded. They walked down the street, arm in arm, before Gwen stopped. Peter looked at her and smiled softly. She swiveled around so that she was facing him.

"What happened?" she whispered. Peter held her gaze for another moment before looking away, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I…I really don't know…" he answered honestly. "One second, I was helping some old lady with her purse and then...she…she _changed_."

Gwen stared at him. She glanced around to make sure that nobody was within hearing distance.

"She changed?" Gwen repeated quietly. "You mean…?"

"Yeah, she transformed into whatever it was that was shooting flames at me." Peter nodded. He leaned against a wall plastered with graffiti. "It was sort of like Connors and how he transformed, except this one can breathe fire. The flame never hit me…that was the weird part. It was almost like the thing couldn't aim."

Gwen bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She knew he wouldn't 'lay low', as she had told him he should with the Lizard, so it was no use saying it now. She leaned beside him on the wall.

"What are you going to do?" she asked tentatively. Peter shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he muttered. Gwen looked down at her silver shoes. She knew she would have to get used to worrying about him, but how? How on earth could she ever get used to the fear that Peter might go and never come back?

"Hey," Peter murmured, lifting her chin up. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Let's not worry about that right now."

Gwen nodded, smiling faintly. Peter kissed her lips lightly. Because of the potential threat of the fire-breathing creature, they decided to walk home. Gwen wrapped her arms around Peter's waist and he held her to him gently. They reached Gwen's apartment building and neither of them wanted to let go of the other.

"Meet me upstairs?" Gwen whispered, holding her hands behind his neck. Peter nodded, grinning, and kissed her again. Gwen hurried up to her apartment, told her youngest brother Simon to go to bed (he was in the living room, his eyes glued to the TV), and then locked herself in her room. Peter was already at the window, waiting patiently for her to open it.

"Well, that took forever." Peter teased, crawling into her room. Gwen smirked.

"Excuse me for not having superpowers," she replied. Peter laughed quietly, conscientious of the fact that Gwen's mother was in the room next door.

"Everyone's already asleep," Gwen assured him, sitting down on her bed. She reached out for his hands and pulled him down beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hand tenderly. They sat like that in silence for a little while, just enjoying one another's presence.

"I love you," Peter whispered suddenly into her hair. Gwen smiled at the words and snuggled closer to him.

"I love you, too," she said, holding his hand to her heart. She tilted her face up to look at him. "Do…do you want to stay?"

Peter's eyes found hers.

"I mean, you've had a long night," Gwen continued. She walked her fingers up his arm. "You're probably exhausted…so…why don't you just stay here for the night?"

Peter smiled. True, he was exhausted and the idea of swinging all the way back to Queens made him even more tired. Besides, he had told Aunt May he wouldn't be back until late, so she wouldn't expect to see him until the morning.

"I'd love to stay," Peter nodded, stroking Gwen's long, blond locks. So, still in their dinner clothes, they stretched out beside each other on Gwen's bed, slipping underneath one of the blankets. Their hands met in between them, fingers laced and palms pressed together. Peter planted a kiss on Gwen's forehead. Gwen tilted her head up and kissed his lips. They lay there, staring into each other's eyes, their feet playing a small round of footsie, until slowly but surely, their eyes began to close.

They fell asleep, those three little words 'I love you' that had come to define them filling their hearts and souls.

**Whew! That was long! Hopefully you're still reading this. I'm worried that I'll lose some of you along the way of this one. Please, please, please REVIEW! It means a lot to me. Thank you to everyone who has! **

**I will try to get another one out soon…it's the middle of Finals week right now, so things are quite, um…hectic. That's a bit of an understatement, but…yeah….**

**Anyway, hoping you are all pleasant and cheery and preferably in a much warmer place than I am right now! :D **


	7. Now it Begins

**Hello! How is everyone? First of all, I'm extremely sorry for having such a gap! I've been quite busy. Also, as you may have noticed, I had to get rid of the last update. I wasn't really satisfied with that one, so I wrote this one instead. It's very long, so hopefully it will make up for everything! Please excuse some implied content and be warned if that makes you uncomfortable. There's nothing very bad, though.**

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! As a writer it means a lot to hear what you all think! The idea for this story came from a review from and it's my longest yet, so see? Reviews go a long way! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spider-Man!**

"Green or Black?"

Gwen Stacy froze and opened her eyes. Her best friend stared at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked. Mary Jane sighed, half-exasperated, half-amused.

"The olives, Gwen!" she chuckled. "Green or Black?"

Gwen let out a breath of laughter and continued to run her fingers absentmindedly along her round stomach.

"Black olives, obviously," she smiled.

"Oh, obviously," Mary Jane repeated, rolling her eyes. Gwen swat her shoulder lightly. Mary Jane stuck her tongue out, but then smiled. The two women were sitting in the living room of Mary Jane's apartment, sipping lemonades, and basking in the warm breeze blowing in from the open windows. They were planning Mary Jane's engagement party to her long time boyfriend, Harry Osborn. Planning engagement parties and weddings together was something that Mary Jane and Gwen had promised each other as little girls, when they were best friends. After rekindling their friendship in high school, the pact had still been on. They had planned Gwen's wedding to her husband, Peter, and had then waited on baited breath until Harry proposed to Mary Jane. He had only popped the question a week previously and the two women were already working on the details of the party. Mary Jane sighed happily.

"This is so much fun," she smiled. "Preparing for your engagement party and wedding was a ball and now this…I just can't believe this is happening."

"I can!" Gwen laughed. "I can't believe it hasn't happened already. We've been waiting for Harry to ask you for ages."

Mary Jane smiled and looked dreamily into space. Gwen shook her head in amusement at her dramatic friend, before her attention was drawn quite suddenly to her large belly. She frowned and shifted a little in her chair as an odd sensation filled her.

"And just think," Mary Jane continued, oblivious to Gwen's discomfort. "Someday we'll be planning birthday parties for the little Parker."

Gwen tried to say something, but pain filled her. She let out a breath. Mary Jane turned sharply to her, wide-eyed and alert.

"Gwen…?"

Gwen looked up with equally surprised eyes, her hand pressing against her abdomen. She blinked and managed a pained smile.

"I think…" she began breathlessly. "I think that day's going to be sooner than we thought…"

Mary Jane's jaw dropped.

"You mean-"

Gwen nearly doubled over on the couch.

"Yeah…" she moaned, closing her eyes.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Mary Jane chirped, jumping out of her chair and bouncing around eagerly. Gwen nodded, eyes still shut. "What do we do? I've never had anyone go into labor in front of me…and on my couch too…hmm…but this is so exciting, isn't it? Oh my god, I just—"

"You should probably call a taxi," Gwen said lowly, unable to focus on anything but the aches seeping through her. She could hear Mary Jane slap herself on the forehead.

"Of course!" she giggled. She ran to the open window and leaned out, scouring the noisy road below. A yellow cab sat right in front of the building. The driver appeared to be talking to Aldo, the doorman, who was looking into the passenger seat window.

"Hey, Aldo!" Mary Jane called. The doorman stood and looked up at her.

"Hello, Miss Watson!" he greeted kindly as he tipped his hat. Mary Jane waved absentmindedly.

"You think you could hold that taxi?" she asked. "My friend's about to have a baby and we need to get to the hospital!"

Aldo bent over and asked the driver. When he straightened up, he gave Mary Jane a big smile and a thumb up.  
"Thanks!" Mary Jane shouted. She turned back to Gwen, who was now sitting up and taking deep breaths. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"This is going to suck," Gwen huffed, though she was smiling. Mary Jane giggled and hurried back to her friend, taking her by her shoulders gently and helping her up.

"Well, we've got a taxi waiting outside so…let's go!" the redhead gushed. Gwen started to let her lead, but then stopped.

"Wait," she said. Mary Jane looked at her questioningly. "I have to call Peter!"

"Call him in the elevator," Mary Jane replied, crouching down to grab Gwen's purse off of the coffee table and handing it to her. "Now, come on! Let's get out of here before you have your baby in my living room."

Gwen laughed, but immediately regretted doing so as that started another bout of pain. Mary Jane helped her out of the apartment, locking the door behind them, and then hit the button for the down elevator. Gwen put an arm out and leaned against the wall.

"Crap!" she exclaimed, holding her stomach. Mary Jane watched on, unsure.

"Do you want me to call him?" she asked timidly. Gwen didn't seem to have enough breath to stand, let alone talk. She nodded. Mary Jane extracted her phone from her pocket and dialed Peter's number. After a few rings, it went to his message machine. The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

"Pete, answer your phone, you're about to become a Daddy." Mary Jane exclaimed before hanging up. She helped Gwen into the elevator. There were only three other people in it: an older man who lived on the floor above Mary Jane and a middle aged woman with a young boy, both of whom Mary Jane had never seen before. Gwen let out a groan, blinking rapidly, as she fit herself in the corner of the elevator, holding the handrail. The doors shut and the elevator began to go down.

"He didn't answer?" she asked Mary Jane. The latter shook her head, offering Gwen her hand. Gwen took it, holding it tightly. "He's probably off saving some…" she trailed off, becoming aware of the other people in the elevator, who were all trying hard not to stare. "…some cat…or something…ooh, ow!"

The middle-aged woman, obviously unable to stand it, turned to Gwen.

"Don't complain now," she said, her tone kind. "It'll get a lot worse. This'll feel like nothing soon."

Gwen stared at her.

"Thank you," she started. "For those reassuring words…"

The woman nodded, smiling contently and turned away. Gwen and Mary Jane shared a bewildered and, on Gwen's part, terrified look.

"I have to call him," Gwen breathed, fear washing over her. She rifled through her bag, pulling out her phone and hitting Peter's speed-dial. The elevator stopped and the doors opened just as the phone began to ring. The other occupants allowed the two women to leave first, Mary Jane leading Gwen by the elbow, Gwen absorbed in getting a hold of her husband. His answering machine spoke to her.

"Damn it!" Gwen exclaimed loudly, not realizing, nor caring, that they were in the middle of the crowded apartment complex lobby. She hung up. "Why isn't he answering?"

Mary Jane shook her head wordlessly, opening the doors. Aldo hurried towards her and held the door open.

"Thank you, Aldo," Mary Jane said fleetingly as she and Gwen hurried pass.

"Anytime, Mary Jane," he said in his deep, rich voice. "And good luck to you, Gwen."

"Thanks." Gwen said tightly as she and Mary Jane squeezed into the backseat of the cab. Mary Jane told the driver where to go and to step on it. Gwen thought she was going to be sick. She didn't even bother with her seatbelt, but held her stomach tighter.

"Oh god…" she moaned. Where on earth was Peter?

"I'm calling him again," Mary Jane said, as if she was reading her friend's mind. A few seconds passed. Gwen looked up hopelessly.

"No?"

Mary Jane shook her head grimly. She hung up and then dialed another number.

"Who are you calling now?"

"Harry," she answered. "He might know where Peter is."

Oddly enough, however, Harry didn't answer either.

"Damn him!" Mary Jane shouted. Gwen sat up and tried calling Peter again. It rang and rang and rang and…

"Hey, you've reached Peter Parker-"

Gwen hung up immediately and slapped her phone down on the seat beside her.

"Can't he have the sense to answer his phone when his wife is about to give birth to his child?" she cried. The taxi driver glanced at them in the mirror, mildly amused. Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose. "He did this to me! He did this and now he can't be bothered to answer his fu—"

Something buzzed next to her.

"It's him!" Mary Jane alerted. Gwen snatched the phone and slid her finger across it.

"Peter?"

"Gwen, wha—"

"Where the hell are you?" Gwen demanded. Peter blinked, surprised and a little nervous at her tone.

"I'm downtown," he answered. "Why? Gwen, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" Gwen repeated incredulously. "What's going on? You're baby is about to be born, that's what's going on!"

Peter's muscles froze, which was not a good thing, seeing as he was in midair. He almost hit the ground before he came somewhat to his senses and shot a web to a nearby building. He was still speechless when he landed clumsily on the roof.

"Peter?" Gwen asked, her voice gentler. "Babe, are you there?"

Peter blinked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm…" he stammered. "Really?"

Gwen smiled, her rage seeping away.

"Yes," she sighed. Peter put a hand on his mask, feeling an idiotic grin spread across his face. He searched for words, though none could capture what he felt.

"What do I do?" he asked and, after realizing what a stupid question that was, added, "Where do I go? Which hospital are you going to?"

The taxi pulled to a halt. Gwen looked up and told him which hospital it was.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Peter said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. "I love you!"

"I love you, too, Peter," Gwen smiled softly. The smile faltered and a familiar insecurity filled her. She waited a couple seconds, trying to figure out how to explain her feeling. "Honey?"

"Yeah, babe?" Peter asked, already shooting a web and swinging across the street. Gwen bit her lip nervously.

"Please hurry," she said in a whisper. Peter heard the fear in her voice, the same worry that she had expressed to him on occasion over the past nine months. His heart went soft. Both he and Gwen were terrified to become parents. They were ecstatic, of course, and already loved their unborn child with a passion. Gwen said that the baby had character and was definitely Peter's child; the baby was active in the evenings and nights, as Peter usually was once he donned his Spider-Man suit, and then rather quiet during the day. Both Peter and Gwen were sometimes concerned by how little movement there was in the day. What terrified them the most, though, was how young they were. Peter's parents hadn't had him until they were a good five years older than he and Gwen were now. It was the same with Gwen's parents, too. Not only that, but they were also worried about the affect Peter's secret identity might have on their kid. Peter blinked rapidly as these apprehensions, and multiple others, filled him.

"I'll be there before you know it," he promised Gwen. He heard her shaky breath on the other end of the phone. He swallowed and tried to keep his voice steady. "Everything's going to be fine, Gwen, I know it."

Gwen smiled a watery smile before telling Peter once more that she loved him and then hanging up. Mary Jane had an empathetic gleam in her eyes as she helped Gwen out of the taxi. Shaking and sensing more pain coming on, Gwen stood, taking her friend's hand, and starting towards the hospital entrance with a mixture of emotions. She wanted Peter more than ever and counted the seconds until he arrived.

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this…"

"Honey, you're fine, you can do it,"

"Well, I don't really have a choice now, do I?"

"No, not really."

Peter tried to smile, but it was hard; it was hard seeing Gwen in so much pain. They were in the pale yellow-walled hospital room, as they had been for hours, waiting for their baby to arrive. Gwen was on her side, facing Peter. She was out of breath, taking in large, deep gulps of air. Her brow furrowed every now and then with pain. Peter was sitting on the edge of a wooden chair, which one of the nurses had placed beside the bed. He held Gwen's hand in one hand and massaged circles into her back with the other. Every now and then he'd reach up and brush a few bits of hair out of her sweaty face or hand her the cup of ice on the table next to them.

"Oh god…" Gwen groaned, shutting her eyes tightly and squeezing Peter's hand. Peter winced, not from the extreme pressure his wife was exerting on his fingers, but from her obvious agony. He stroked her clenched jaw with his free hand, biting his lip. After about a minute, Gwen released all of her breath and went back to taking deep sips of air. She looked up at Peter with big, weary eyes. To his surprise, a twinkle of laughter filled them. He smiled softly.

"What?" he asked. Gwen pressed her nose into the pillow, still looking at him.

"We are never having sex ever again," she said breathlessly. Peter couldn't help but let out an airy laugh. He thought he knew that she was just joking, but part of him took that seriously. If their love for each other put her through this much pain, maybe they were better off just kissing for the rest of their lives. Gwen batted her eyelashes up at him and, as if reading his mind, stuck her lips out in a tight little bow. Peter ducked his head down and kissed her lovingly. There was a knock on the door and he sat up. The door opened a little and a face peeked in.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner!" Helen Stacy apologized, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Mom…" Gwen sighed. Peter heard the obvious relief in her voice; he knew that it was important to Gwen to have her mom there. Helen beamed, walking to her daughter's bedside.

"Gwennie," she whispered, tears in her eyes. This day had finally come; her baby was having a baby and Helen was going to live her second dream. The first was being a mother. The second: Being a grandmother. She could hardly take her eyes off of Gwen and, when she did, it was to greet Peter and hug him warmly.

Peter stood after hugging Gwen's mother.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom real quick," he said, bending over and giving Gwen a soft peck. She nodded, her eyes thanking him silently. He nodded back, smiling fondly, and then left. He really didn't have to use the bathroom, but rather wanted to give mother and daughter some time alone. He closed the door gently behind him and looked up and down the hall, running his hand through his hair. He was tired. Peter hadn't wanted to go so far as to even think that, though, because Gwen was the one giving birth. He didn't think he had any right to exhaustion at the time being. Figuring he might as well go to the bathroom, because he would probably have to sooner or later, he started down the hall.

Halfway down, the wall turned to glass. Peter glanced into the little room on the other side, looked away, and made it a few steps further before taking a double take. He turned around and slowly neared the glass. Inside were rows of plastic cribs. They were all filled with tiny bundles: Babies. Peter couldn't help but watch the tiny newborns squirm and wriggle in their beds. All of them were so small, almost impossibly small. Wistfully, Peter thought about how hopefully very soon he wouldn't be looking at strangers' offspring…he'd be looking at his. His lips twitched and an eager jitter filled him because suddenly, all of the fear left his body. Every worry seemed to flit away as he smiled at the sea of round faces. He was going to be a father and he would have a little person who he could give all of his attention to, who he could tickle and hold and cuddle and rock to sleep and protect. And in that child would be traits of himself and, more, he hoped, of Gwen.

Beaming, Peter forgot about the bathroom and made his way back to Gwen's room. He opened the door slowly, thinking only after he opened it that he should have knocked.

"…would have been so proud of you…of both of you." Helen Stacy was murmuring, her voice thick with tears. "I know he would have been."

Peter hesitated and then tapped his knuckles against the already ajar door. Helen turned and wiped her cheeks, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her son-in-law.

"Peter," she said, beaming at him. "I know I've told you this already, but you're going to make a really wonderful father. I was just telling Gwen that if…" she paused, swallowing and standing. "If George were here, he would have loved being a Grandpa."

Peter tried to smile, but it was somber. He didn't quite know what to say, so he nodded, and Helen seemed to understand. She hugged him warmly.

"I know you'll take great care of the baby," she whispered gratefully. "And of Gwen…you always have."  
She let go of him and wiped her eyes once more. Peter smiled at her and then at Gwen, whose face was also slick with tears.

"I'm going to go check on the boys," Helen hiccupped. She went back to her daughter's side and kissed her forehead. Patting Peter's arm lightly as she passed him, she left the room. Peter resumed his perch on the chair. Gwen, who was still breathing deeply, but was now quietly staring at the sheet, laced her fingers with his.

"I really wish he was here," she said barely above a whisper. Peter stroked her thumb, understanding completely. He wished the same about his parents.

"I know," he murmured. It had been almost nine years since George Stacy had been killed and, yet, Peter still felt a sort of guilt for his death. Gwen missed her father more than she could possibly say. She hoped he knew that she was thinking of him, wherever he was. Peter wiped her cheeks and ran his fingers through her hair, smoothing it down soothingly. Gwen closed her eyes. Peter meant the world to her. She sometimes didn't know what she would do without him.

Something beeped beside Gwen. She was so used to that sound signaling an oncoming contraction and so she braced herself, gripping Peter's hand tightly. The pain came like an attack. Gwen thought she might have cried out, but she wasn't really sure; everything was a kind of painful blur. And then suddenly, everything happened very quickly, as if all of those hours of contractions had led up to a few seconds. A doctor rushed in and then one of the nurses was helping Peter move Gwen onto her back. She was hurting so much that she wasn't really aware of the words coming out of her mouth, but judging by the shock, bewilderment, and sort of guilty fear on Peter's face, they weren't very kind.

"Don't worry, I said much worse to my husband when I had our son," One of the nurses told Peter. He nodded dumbly and continued to run his fingers up and down Gwen's arm. She was so exhausted that Peter anxiously thought that she might pass out.

"Keep breathing, honey," he said worriedly, clearing her bangs out of her face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Gwen exclaimed. "I'd be dead right now if I wasn't breathing!"

Peter had a feeling it might be better not to say anything else. Gwen's grasp on his hand might have broken it, had he not been bitten by a radioactive spider. Despite this, however, it did hurt, but not, Peter imagined, as much as Gwen was hurting.

"You're almost there," the doctor told Gwen calmly over her exclamations. He announced to the room at large that a head was visible. Peter trembled with excitement. He held his arm around Gwen as she leaned forward and pressed his lips to her temple; she was nearly crying with effort. She stopped for a moment, catching her breath and loosening her hold on Peter's hand. He stroked her fingers.

"One more big push, Gwen," the doctor instructed her. Gwen didn't do anything though. Her breath was shallow.

"I can't, I can't…" she panted, closing her eyes and resting her head on her knee. Peter looked nervously at the doctor, who raised his eyebrows seriously. Some of Peter's previous fear came back because Gwen looked so frail and as though she was really at her limit.

"Come on, sweetheart, you're so close," he whispered, rubbing her back. The doctor nodded.

"One more push and we'll get this baby out of you," he said kindly. Gwen lifted her head wearily. One of the nurses nodded kindly at her. Taking a deep breath, Gwen squeezed Peter's hand and pushed.

"There we go!" the doctor said. "Keep pushing, keep pushing…"

Gwen cried out again and again, doing her best to stay conscious. The pain was so intense that she could almost feel herself slipping away until suddenly…

Someone else in the room was wailing, the sound mixing with Gwen's exclamations.

"And we have a baby!" the doctor announced, grinning. Gwen fell limply back into the pillows, gasping for air. Peter froze, his eyes widening at the sound of his child's cries. The doctor handed the baby to a nurse, who hurried to the other side of the room to clean the newborn. Peter couldn't move as he watched the, no, his, baby be carried away. The doctor smiled at him and Gwen.

"Congratulations," he said. "It's a girl."

Peter blinked rapidly and glanced back at Gwen. Still out of breath, she smiled at him and, using all of her strength, raised their entwined fingers to her lips and kissed his hand. A very stunned smile flit across Peter's face. The nurse appeared at his side, carrying a little bundle just like those he had seen through the glass all that time ago. She held the blankets out to him. Gwen squeezed his hand gently and then let it go so that the nurse could gently pass the baby to him.

Peter's legs went weak. He cradled his little girl in his arms, feeling an intense wave of protective emotions. She squirmed, her eyes still closed, warm against his chest. He had to sit down in the chair beside the bed because he was so worried that his quaking legs would give out. The doctor said something to him and Gwen, but Peter didn't hear; he couldn't take his eyes off of his daughter. She turned her head and, very slowly, opened her eyes to slits, looking up at him. All of the breath left his body and he felt as though he'd been put under some sort of spell.

"Hi…" he murmured, tentatively stroking the tiny, soft cheek with his finger. The door closed and Peter realized that he and Gwen were alone with their child. He looked up at her, joy filling him. Gwen was beaming as she watched Peter gaze at their newborn. Tears fell down her cheeks and she did nothing to stop them. Peter leaned forward and very carefully passed the baby to her.

Gwen's heart pounded as she felt her child against her body. She held her firmly, yet gently. The baby's eyes opened fully and Gwen smiled as her tiny lips curved and she let out a little noise.

"Hello, little girl," Gwen whispered, her voice thick with tears of joy. She felt Peter sit on the side of the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He kissed her head. Gwen leaned back into him; she could see so much of her husband in their daughter already. "She's so beautiful. She looks a lot like you, Peter."

Peter laughed lightly. He, too, had tears in his eyes, a sensation he hadn't felt for a long while. He didn't mind though, even when one rolled down his face.

"I was going to say she looks just like you," he said, pressing his cheek against Gwen's. Gwen looked into his eyes. They grinned at each other, noses touching, and then kissed softly. Peter tucked a lock of Gwen's hair behind her ear, unable to keep the smile off his face. The baby wriggled and let out a little yawn. Peter and Gwen beamed down at her.

"Hi, baby," they cooed in unison. Gwen held her up and kissed her tiny nose.

"I've waited so long just to see you," she whispered, her eyes lit up. The baby made another noise and stared up at her parents. Peter cocked his head to the side, still unable to look away from his daughter. He put his hand underneath Gwen's so that they were both holding her head. Gwen turned to him.

"I want to name her May," she said suddenly. Peter looked at her, eyebrows raised. He was taken aback; they had discussed names every now and then, but had never been able to come up with anything they really liked. Gwen watched him timidly. He looked back at the little girl and then beamed at Gwen.

"I think that's perfect." He nodded. Gwen smiled widely and kissed him.

"Aunt May is going to be so surprised," Peter chuckled when they broke apart.

"Well, she's had such a strong influence on our lives," Gwen said. "And she practically raised you. It just makes sense to name our daughter after her."

Peter nodded, still smiling. He rested his head against Gwen's and they watched their daughter together. Little May Parker, Peter thought fondly. He was so excited to be a Dad and watch Gwen be a Mom to the little girl they held. Both adults knew that this was a turning point for their lives; everything would be different.

Gwen remembered the day she had told Peter that they were going to have a baby, way back when all of this began. She had waited, alone, for him to return home, something she would never have to do again. Gwen glanced and Peter again and felt her heart melt. She had known that he would love their child no matter what, but in his eyes she saw a more intense emotion than she had expected. She saw almost exactly what she felt, like she never wanted to let go of her daughter. Not for the first time, she acknowledged what a wonderful father Peter would be. Looking back down at her daughter, she felt as though her entire soul had come alive.

Now was when their lives began.

**Well...what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Please let me know! **


	8. The Night Gwen Stacy---

**Hello! First of all, I'm super sorry for the long pause in between updates. The last chapter was a little strange and it took me a little while to get back into writing for this collection. I wanted to bring back the whole "The Night Gwen Stacy..." story because I previously left this as a cliff hanger and then deleted it. This will be split up into two parts.**

**Thank you so, so much to all of you who left a review! I appreciate being able to read your thoughts on the pieces. Please continue to give feedback and if you haven't yet, now is the time to start!**

**The Night Gwen Stacy...**

The darkness shrouded his brain. His thoughts shot like jets, visions flitting across closed lids. The bitter, shameful feeling of defeat and the longing for blood filled him like a toxin. His pain, physical, mental, and emotional, was strong and sure. Suddenly, Harry's face swam before him…his son, his poor, poor son who had succumbed to the horrors of life. And Spiderman, the reason for all of this. With that one thought, all of the memories poured back into him. Spiderman was to blame for everything and must be destroyed. And he, Norman Osborn, was the one who had to do it.

"Peter Parker…" a voice whispered inside his head. Yes, yes, Parker…Harry's so called 'friend'. The boy couldn't have so much as a clue that Norman knew his secret identity. Norman could take him quite by surprise. He would never know what was coming until it was too late.

"Yes, yes, precisely!" Norman cackled, his voice sounding deliciously foreign, even to himself. He opened his eyes, getting a good look at the messy, recently disheveled office. He would catch that little bug off guard! He knew things about Peter Parker, things that would ruin him. Norman leapt out of his swiveling chair and to the blinds covering his office windows. He peeked through them, into the glass walls of the work-floor. There she was: The Stacy girl. Norman had never talked to her, but Harry had told him all about her. Norman smirked. She would be very important to his plan. She was, after all, the great love of Peter Parker.

Peter Parker. Spiderman.

Norman smiled to himself.

Parker didn't stand a chance.

Little did Norman Osborn know, but Peter was as aware of Norman's secret identity as Norman was of Peter's. As the months without the Green Goblin slewed by, Peter could not help anxiously awaiting the moment that Osborn remembered everything. He was highly suspicious of the 'amnesia' that Osborn had so suddenly developed and knew that it was only a matter of time until a confrontation. He could almost feel the clock ticking…

Peter stared at the coffee cup in front of him without really seeing it at all. He was sitting by himself at a table in a crowded Manhattan café. The textbook for his college Advanced Biochemistry class lay open, waiting for him to read its pages, but Peter couldn't focus. His mind was on something, or rather, someone, else: Gwen. If his suspicions were correct, Osborn knew who he was. That made Gwen a potential target. The thought of what could happen to her, of what Osborn could do to her, scared him more than anything. And, he thought with a shudder, Gwen didn't know who Osborn really was. She was working under his authority, in the same building as him, and was unaware of the danger that put her in. That meant that at any moment, at any second really, Osborn could…

Peter shook his head. He didn't want to think about that. He knew that he should have told Gwen about the true identity of the Green Goblin the second he found out, but at that time he had felt that her knowing would only put her in more danger. Besides, he hadn't discovered that it was Osborn until after the Osborn's memory loss. He had thought, or hoped, rather, that that would mean the end of the Green Goblin. But now his spider senses were tingling. It was better that Gwen knew. And so there he was, sitting in that crowded café, waiting for his one and only to walk in.

"Hey, Peter," A voice chimed above him. Peter looked up, his heart sinking slightly because it was not said one and only standing in front of him. Instead, Mary Jane Watson smiled down at him.

"Hi, Mary Jane," Peter said, trying weakly to smile. Mary Jane let out a tinkling laugh and sat down across from him.

"Funny, I didn't think you'd be so unpleased to see me," she said.

"Funny, I didn't think I invited you to join me." Peter countered. Mary Jane's smile slipped slightly, but she recovered by coyly raising an eyebrow.

"Touché," she murmured. Peter stared at her for a second before shifting in his chair. He and Mary Jane weren't exactly friends, but they were more than acquaintances. She and Gwen were roommates, so Peter saw her often, but very rarely without Gwen.

"What…um…" he started, and then cleared his throat, glancing out the window, hoping for a sign of Gwen. "Can I…help you with something or…?"

"Oh, you can help me, Parker," Mary Jane whispered suggestively, her eyes twinkling playfully. Peter faltered for a second, unsure of what to say exactly. He didn't have to speak, however, because quite suddenly, her face rearranged itself into a very serious, very not-Mary-Jane-Watson expression. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I really do have something you might…" she took a breath. "Have you talked to Harry at all lately?"

Peter stared at her for a moment before his eyes dropped to the murky remains of his coffee.

"No, I haven't," he muttered. Harry was Peter's best friend. But he hadn't talked to him in weeks. Harry had gotten into a lot of trouble with the wrong people (Peter had actually witnessed it as Spiderman) over some drug deal. College hadn't treated Harry too well and he had slowly, but surely, become addicted to more pills than Peter could fathom. It had reached such a bad point that Harry had been sent to live with his father, Norman Osborn. Peter was immensely worried about Harry, not only for over his health, but also that Norman would tell Harry who Peter was.

"Oh," Mary Jane said softly, reminding Peter that she was there. He cleared his throat again.

"What about you?" Peter asked. Mary Jane shook her head.

"He won't even answer my calls," she said sadly, her eyes searching the clouds outside as if they held answers. Peter took to looking at his nearly empty cup again as a thick silence filled the space between them. Mary Jane blinked and, within seconds, her carefree air returned, forced this time. She smiled slyly. "But maybe I should just look on the bright side…you're here. You're just what I need."

"When would you like him, dear?" someone laughed. Peter turned and his heart leapt. Gwen's arms were folded over her chest and an amused smile played on her lips. "Before or after I pull your hair out?"

Mary Jane rolled her eyes.  
"You know he's all yours," she sighed, standing. "I'm just playing."

"Yeah, well you forfeit this one," Gwen warned, though she was smiling. "Or else..."

Mary Jane stuck her tongue out teasingly. She bid Gwen and Peter a quick farewell before heading for the door. Once she had left, Gwen bent down and pressed her lips to Peter's. It wasn't until then, once his arms were around her waist, that Peter realized how relieved he was that she was there and how scared he had been that she wouldn't make it.

"Hi," she grinned, taking the seat that Mary Jane had previously occupied. Peter encased her hand in his on the table. "What's going on?"

Peter glanced around to make sure that everyone around them was absorbed in their own conversation.

"I don't really know how to…how to say this…" he started, biting his lip. "There's something that I need to tell you that…I probably should have told you a long time ago…"  
Gwen's eyes narrowed.

"Peter," Gwen said slowly. "That's not the most reassuring way of starting a conversation…"

Peter's eyebrows bunched together. He squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, maybe not, but don't worry, it's not bad," he said and then frowned. "Well, actually it kind of is but…okay, here it is…" Peter paused, checking their surroundings once more, lowering his voice. "It's about the Green Goblin."

"Yeah," Gwen nodded stiffly, a mixture of fury and fear clouding her eyes. The mere mention of that name was enough to make most New Yorkers go rigid.

"It's Norman Osborn," Peter whispered quickly. Gwen blinked.

"What?"

"Norman Osborn." Peter repeated lowly, wincing a little. Gwen's eye went wide with shock.

"As in the C.E.O. of OsCorp?" she confirmed, disbelievingly. "That Norman Osborn?"

"Yes," Peter said, anxious suddenly that she wouldn't believe him. Gwen gaped at him, shaking her head softly.

"That…that actually makes a lot of sense…" she murmured, surprising Peter slightly. He blinked.

"Really?"

"Yes," Gwen nodded, squinting down at the table as if she was trying to solve an equation in her head. She looked up at Peter. "I mean, he was near death before the whole Lizard thing, right? That's why Connors was working so hard to get the serum done fast and when it didn't work…"

"He created a serum of his own," Peter finished. "But something went wrong with it just like the lizard's DNA. Only instead of transforming into a giant reptile, he's developed super-human strengths and lost his ability to think rationally."

Gwen's eyes were wide. She opened her mouth wordlessly, unsure of what to say. Osborn had been so sick. How could no one at OsCorp look a little closer? They had all known the circumstances of his recover were suspicious to say the least, but it was an unspoken rule that nobody voiced these suspicions. They were close enough to see how questionable it all was and Peter…Gwen gasped.

"He knows who you are," she stated. It was the only reason why Peter would be bringing this up now. Peter chewed his lip and nodded.

"Yeah, he does" he swallowed. "And…I'm worried about you."

Gwen stared at him for a second, a little disbelievingly. "You're worried about me?"

"Harry's mentioned us to his dad before," Peter muttered. "Osborn knows about you and me and that puts you in danger."

Gwen bit her lip, her expression unwavering.

"Peter—" she started. He squeezed her fingers.

"Gwen, I know he's remembering." He whispered. "I can feel it. He thinks that everything wrong with his life is Spider-man's fault and it's just a matter of time until he tries to make it even."

Gwen felt her forehead tense and she sighed. They had been through this with every new enemy. Peter was always worried that she would become a target. Gwen was just about to tell him not to worry about her, but she stopped herself before she began. This was not just any other villain, this was the Green Goblin. This was different for Peter; it was much more personal than any of the others he fought. During the Goblin's first tirade, Peter had taken to spending the night with Gwen in her dorm, just to know that she was sleeping safe in his arms. He had taken up more precautions than ever. Gwen let the silence stretch out between them. She rubbed her fingers lightly against his, swallowing down her anxiety.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen asked quietly. Peter looked deeply into her eyes, wishing he had some sort of a plan. He would do anything to protect Gwen; there was absolutely no question about that. Telling her to stay away from OsCorp would do no good, he knew that. If Osborn was going to find her, he was going to try, no matter where she was.

Gwen's eyes were large with understanding. She knew that there wasn't anything they could do. Peter knew it too, though it hurt to admit it. He looked back up at Gwen and sat up suddenly, leaning forward. They pressed their lips together, letting them linger there for some time before parting.

"I don't know." Peter breathed, sitting back down and tightening his hold on her fingers. Their eyes found the dark, ominous clouds outside as silence dissolved between them.

* * *

Gwen stood at the kitchen sink of her dorm room, staring motionlessly out the window at the stormy sky. The wind was whistling softly and there was a sort of hum in the air. The dorm was absolutely empty. Mary Jane was out and Peter, who had stuck to her side since their conversation that afternoon, had just swung off into the dusk. Gwen could still feel the warmth of his fingers on her cheeks, could still breathe in the gentle smell of him where he had stood mere seconds ago. He hadn't wanted to go; in fact, he had planned to stay with her all night, but the muffled voices on the police scanner that reported sightings of the Green Goblin had made him decide otherwise.

A door slammed down the hallway, causing Gwen to jump out of her stupor as though she had been electrocuted. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. Although the police scanner said that the Green Goblin was halfway across the city, far from harming her, Gwen's stomach was tight with nerves for Peter. She was always scared when he swung off on a web, but this time she was especially terrified.

Another loud noise erupted from down the hall and Gwen dimly wondered why people were slamming their doors.

Suddenly, she couldn't stand being alone. She picked up her phone from the counter and dialed MJ's number. After a three rings, her roommate picked up.

"Hey, Gwennie, what's going on?" Mary Jane asked.

"Nothing much," Gwen sighed, wearily pinching the top of her nose, hoping to ward off the inevitable headache. "How late does rehearsal go?"

"Oh, well, I'm really not sure." Mary Jane huffed. "We're taking a thirty minute break right now. The light board crashed and the idiot director isn't being helpful at all and…oops!" she exclaimed and then added in a whisper, "I think he heard me…"  
Gwen was rolling her eyes, just about to respond, when her phone emitted a low beep. She looked at the screen and saw that Peter was calling.  
"Hey, Peter's calling me, can I call you right back?"  
"Oh, I guess so," Mary Jane teased. "We can't keep lover boy waiting, can we?"  
Gwen chuckled. "Okay, I'll call you back."  
"Byeee."

Gwen slid her finger across the screen of her phone. Another bang sounded in the hall. She glanced over; was it her imagination, or were those noises getting louder and closer?

"Hey, Peter, what's-"

"It was a trap." He said lowly.

Gwen froze, her smile fading.  
"What?" she asked.

"It was a trap, Gwen." He repeated and Gwen could hear the panic in his voice. "I got down here and found….well, it wasn't very pretty. Osborn was here but he's long gone now."

Gwen glanced about the dark dorm room, wordless. There was another slam down the hall. Someone screamed a shrill, piercing noise that was cut short.

"Did someone just scream?" Peter said urgently.

"I don't…I don't know…" Gwen said faintly, staring at the door. Suddenly, her frozen body split into motion. She walked quickly to the bathroom that she and Mary Jane shared, trying with surprisingly numb ease to stay calm.

"Where do you think he went?" she asked Peter, closing the bathroom door behind her.

"I don't know, Gwen, but whatever he's going to do, it can't be good." Peter said darkly. Gwen could hear rushes of wind over the phone, indicating that Peter was swinging through the air.

"Are you coming back?" she asked, worried. Peter hesitated. There was another slam, louder this time, even from behind the closed door of the bathroom.

"I want to, but I think that's exactly what he wants." Peter said finally. "He could be following me or…I don't know."

BANG!

Gwen's spine stiffened. Something was pounding on the door to the dorm. She couldn't possibly be imagining that. Bang! Bang! Her eyes widened and her voice stuck. An undeniable rumble shattered the atmosphere.

"Gwen?" Peter asked slowly. "What was that?"

Footsteps echoed upon the floor, getting closer and closer.

"Peter…" Gwen breathed. She backed away from the door as the sound of big, thick feet neared. Something tapped on the wood.

"Gwen, what's going on?"

"Knock, knock," a slimy voice cackled. "Come out, come out wherever you are…"

"Gwen!" Peter's urgent voice rang in her ears. Gwen tried to answer, tried at least to move her lips, but everything inside of her had frozen. "Gwen!"

"Fine, Miss Stacy." The voice murmured. "If you won't come out, I'll just come in."  
Suddenly, the door exploded open and, there before her, stood the Green Goblin, terrifying in his might. Gwen was trapped.

"Come with me, Gwen," Osborn cooed. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?"

Her phone slid out of her hand, Peter's yells still emitting from it loudly. Gwen started, hoping to run but with no idea where. It was a feeble attempt at escape, however. A large hand slapped against her face and she fell to the tiled floor of the bathroom. Her vision went fuzzy. She could just barely see the greenish figure kneeling down and picking up her phone.

"Find me within the hour if you want to see her alive again," Osborn's voice taunted. It was the last thing Gwen heard before the whole world went dark.

**Opinions? Please let me know. **


	9. The Night Gwen Stacy--- (Part Two)

**Hello Lovely Readers. I absolutely love and appreciate the reviews. Usually I'm just writing for myself, so it's nice to know that other people like it. Please keep it up!**

**The Night Gwen Stacy- (Part Two)**

Peter forgot to shoot another web at the next building. He nearly face planted into a tour bus before catching himself and swinging onto a roof. His legs shook when he landed. He fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands.

"Find me within the hour if you want to see her alive again," Osborn had said.

"No…" Peter muttered. Gwen. Osborn had taken Gwen. Why on earth had Peter fallen for that horrible trap? Why hadn't he just stayed with her? Why—

No. Peter stopped his angered thoughts. Wallowing in his mistake wasn't going to help Gwen. The only thing to do was to find that damn Goblin and get to Gwen before the unthinkable happened.

Peter stood on quaking legs, looking through the darkness at the vast city of lights before him. The clouds reflected the rising tension inside of him, as if they too were boiling with fear and anger. Where could the Goblin have taken her? Peter could think up about a hundred places that would be fitting to implement villainous plans, but none of them seemed right. With a frustrated sigh, he leapt off of the building. There was so little time and he had to get moving, had to at least go somewhere that made even the tiniest scrap of sense.

Adrenaline coursed through Peter's muscles, making him go faster than he ever had before. He slid easily into an open window of Gwen's dorm and landed on crouched legs, ready just in case of another trap. It wasn't until he stood up that Peter realized that the window wasn't open; it was broken. Glass hung in jagged teeth, like a monster waiting to eat him up. His heart clanged.

"Gwen?" he called. He knew she wouldn't respond, but a little of him still hoped. Just hearing her voice call out to him would make all of this a horrible nightmare. When he ran down the hall, however, the evidence that Gwen had been taken was all too real. "Oh god…"

The paint on the walls was chipped, as though ripped apart by giant claws. There were huge indents in the carpet that must have been made by the Goblin's feet. The door to the bathroom was hanging by its hinges and, to Peter's terror, a square of the tiled floor shone red in the moonlight. Peter's knees went weak. He held the doorframe tightly to keep from falling, but this only resulted in him holding a broken piece of doorframe in his hand and sinking to the floor anyway. His vision blurred furiously. His hand landed on something, thin and sleek. Gwen's phone…Peter dropped the mangled piece of wood in his hand and took the phone instead. A background of him and Gwen gleamed back at him. Peter felt a deep ache in his stomach as he looked at himself and Gwen, smiling into each other's eyes. She had such a soft, affectionate smile on her face, her hands on Peter's chest, and his arms around her waist. Peter could feel his throat constricting. Where had Osborn taken her?

Something else caught his eye. A flap of paper stuck out from the back of the phone. He flipped it over and saw that taped to the cover was a magazine cutout of Mount Rushmore. Peter blinked. One of the faces was circled in red.

"George Washington…" he muttered. It was some sort of clue left by the Goblin who had wanted Peter to find him all along. He obviously couldn't resist putting on a little show. But what did George Washington have to do with anything? Peter squeezed his eyes shut and wracking his brain for what it might mean. Suddenly, it hit him. The George Washington Bridge! That was where Peter had first encountered the Goblin and that's where he had taken Gwen. Peter was on his feet in seconds and starting down the hall. A loud shriek stopped him.

"GWEN?! Gwen, oh my god, Gwen, please! Answer me!"  
Mary Jane was standing in the mess of glass that was the living room floor, looking around frantically. She pulled out her phone and started to dial. Peter stepped forward.

"Nine-one-one?" Mary Jane asked, her voice quivering. "No, no…please, someone's broken into my dorm and…my roommate…she's gone, she's not here…"

Mary Jane spun around suddenly and saw Peter. Her face went bright red and pinched with anger.

"You!" she shrieked, dropping her phone and charging Peter. He backed up, confused.

"What are you—?"

"You did this!" Mary Jane exclaimed, pounding her fists into Peter's chest. "You did something with Gwen! Where is she? Where did you—"

"Mary Jane, what are you talking about?" Peter yelled, cutting her off and grabbing her wrists in one hand. The redhead's eyes widened horrified.

"How do you know my name?"

Peter frowned, attempting to push past her. He didn't have time to get into yet another petty discussion with MJ.

"You're the reason I lost Harry!" Mary Jane snapped, blocking his way. "You've ruined everything! You're the reason he's so messed up and now you've done something to Gwen!"

Peter suddenly realized that he still had his mask on. Mary Jane wasn't aware of his secret identity; she had no idea that it was him standing in front of her.

"Listen to me," he said firmly, stopping her rant. Mary Jane looked at him, wide-eyes challenging. "I'm helping, okay? I'm trying to find Gwen, not hurt her."

"Of course you'd say that," Mary Jane snarled. "You want everyone to think you're the hero while you're really just bringing this city down!"

Peter huffed, irritated. Of all of the obstacles he could have faced, he never expected this to be one of them. He tried to get past Mary Jane, but she held her ground with surprising strength.

"No, no, you're not going anywhere," she said confidently. "The only place you're going is a prison cell."

Peter threw his hands up.

"Look, there's not much time left and I have to find Gwen, alright?" he exclaimed. Mary Jane didn't move. Before Peter could stop himself, he lifted his hand. Mary Jane flinched, as if she thought he was about to hit her, but Peter's hand went to the top of his head. He pulled the mask off. Mary Jane gasped, covering her hands with her mouth.

"Now do you get it?" Peter snapped. "I have to save her, Mary Jane. I'm the only one that can."

He hurried forward and this time she didn't stop him, but rather let him sprint past her, watching in shock. Peter didn't care that he had to reveal himself. The only thing important was getting to that bridge and stopping the Green Goblin before it was too late.

At first, it was only sounds. Cars honking, bells ringing, people shouting, some strange cackling. Vision came soon after. It was hard to place anything, but what could be placed was fuzzy and blurred and moving very quickly. A glimpse of the starry night sky came into focus; the little glowing dots reminded her of someone, someone she had laid beside in a field and looked at the constellations with, someone she loved…Peter...

Gwen's eyes snapped open. Her body felt light and airy, uncontrollable. She had no idea where she was.

"Ah, good, you're awake." A mean voice sneered. Gwen looked around, trying to absorb her surroundings. With a jolt, she realized that she was in the air, high above the city she had grown up in. What the…how was this happening? How was she floating in midair and why couldn't she remember anything? Her body unconsciously fought with panic and fear. She tried to yell for help.

"Mmm! Mmm!" she squealed. Tape covered her mouth. She tried to tear it away, but her hands were being held together by something cold and metallic. She squirmed, terrified.

"No, no, missy," the voice taunted. "Hold still or else Prince Charming is going to miss the show…and we can't have that, now, can we?"

Gwen couldn't help but obey and remained still. Maybe this was just a nightmare. Whoever was holding her was cackling away.

"Here…we…are…!" he exclaimed slowly and excitedly. They landed. Gwen was shaking. She had never felt so helpless in her life. Her captor stood her up sharply, switching his grasp from her hands to her arms. Gwen felt her feet touch something slippery and uneven. She gasped as her foot nearly fell out from under her.

"Don't worry, Miss Stacy…I wouldn't want to lose one of my most intelligent employees that easily." The voice said, this time less high-pitched and more human. Gwen blinked. It was Osborn. Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, had kidnapped her. Memories fleeted back to her; Peter's frantic phone call, being hit on the head. Remembering this somehow seemed to ground her. She swallowed and forced herself to look down.

Cars whizzed beneath her. Thick cords shot out in front of her and New York City lit up the horizon. Her stomach churned. They were on a bridge. Gwen tried to glance back at Osborn, but he must have been directly above her, because she couldn't see his face. Instead, she saw a giant, green metal shoulder. She pressed herself to think of a way out, but there was quite literally nothing she could do.

"Here comes our boy, just on time…" Osborn murmured with glee. Gwen's eyes went to the skyline, where a tiny figure could be seen swinging from building to building, getting closer and closer. She felt a jolt that might have been hope, but was probably panic.

"Time for you to scream," Osborn ordered, ripping the piece of tape off. Gwen gasped, gulping in the cool air. Osborn's voice whispered in her ear. "Scream…"

Gwen set her face and made no noise. She would not be ordered around by this maniac, whether he was holding her miles above the ground her not. To scream would be to give the Goblin leverage over herself and over Peter and she refused to do that.

"Scream!" Osborn said once more.

"No." Gwen breathed, watching as Spider-Man's figure grew.

"I said scream!"  
"I won't." Gwen tried to keep her voice steady, but failed. An unwanted tear slipped down her cheek as she stared ahead.

"I'll make you then…" Osborn whispered. He kicked Gwen's legs out from under her and loosened his grip around her. Gwen's stomach dropped. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"No…"

Osborn was barely holding her. She was so terrified that she didn't think she could scream even if she wanted.

Peter landed on the pillar across from the Goblin just in time to see him loosen his grip on Gwen. Peter's stomach lurched.

"No!" he bellowed. "Osborne!"

The green face looked up.

"Ah, Spider-Man…" he called, lifting Gwen back up. "You've been kind enough to join our little party."

"Thanks for the invite," Peter quipped, unsure of how such a casual joke could come out of him right now. He took a step forward, onto the cord linking his pillar to the Goblin's, and began to toe his way along it, like a tight-rope walker. He was almost half-way across when Osborn's grip on Gwen slackened a little more.

"Not any closer, boy," he warned. "Or I'll drop her."

Peter's feet froze. He raised his palms up.

"Alright," he said, willing his voice to stay smooth. "Not moving. Now, what do you want?"

Osborn took a moment to respond. He rocked back and forth lightly, causing Gwen's legs to swing ever so slightly. The sight made Peter's jaw clench.

"Now, Peter," Osborn said admonishingly. "Do you really have to ask?"

"Blaming me for everything doesn't mean you have to do this," Peter said. "Maybe I'm rightfully to blame, but that's me. Not Gwen. This is between you and me, Osborn. Leave her out of this."

Osborn continued to stare, silent. He readjusted his grip on Gwen and in the split second in which it looked like he had dropped her, Peter started forward, his body tingling with adrenaline. Osborn chuckled.

"Peter, you know, you're an extraordinarily strong person, especially for someone your age," he said. "You have such courage, such bravery…it's hard to take revenge on someone such as yourself."

Peter didn't respond. He didn't feel strong at all. In fact, right now was about the weakest he had ever felt.

"He really loves you, doesn't he?" Osborn said to Gwen. "That's a rare love to come by. That kind of love is the downfall of someone with his strength." He paused. "What would you do, Peter, to ensure the girl's life?"

"Anything," Peter answered firmly and without hesitation. The Goblin laughed.

"Yes, I thought you might say that," he murmured. "You know, I too know how it feels to love someone so much that you would do absolutely anything for them. Anything…go across seas, go hungry…kill…anything."

He paused, almost thoughtfully.

"Peter, you say you would do anything to save her, but do you know what happens when you can't? Do you know what happens when that love is taken away from you?"

Peter could feel his muscles tense in anticipation. Whatever Osborn was going to do, Peter would be ready.

"You lost your parents and your uncle, yes, and you loved them, but this love….this love is different. To lose it makes you do anything to inflict the same pain. Some say it could drive you….insane." Osborn concluded. He took a step to the edge of the pillar, dragging Gwen with him. Her eyes never left Peter's masked face, under which she could only assume his eyes were looking back at her. Her heart ached dully and she wished she could see those eyes. She was inches away from death, though, and she would probably never see any bit of Peter's face ever again.

"See, I can't leave the girl out of this, Peter," Osborn overrode him placidly. "You're right that this is between the two of us and you have to be punished. But nothing I do to you will hurt you half as much as something I do to her."

Peter stepped forward quickly, unable to take anymore.

"Osborn, please-"

"No, enough of that!" Osborn snapped suddenly. "I didn't come here to hear New York's masked hero beg for my mercy…I came here to watch him suffer as I have…to watch him go just as crazy as me and see how it feels to lose everything!"

And with that, he released his arms from around Gwen.

Peter's world froze. Gwen appeared to be suspended in mid-air for a few seconds, unmoving. Peter could hear nothing but his heart, thudding in his ears. Gwen was his only reason for living. There were mornings in which nothing but the thought of her could get him out of bed. She was his hope, his happiness, his life…but most importantly, she was his love. Without Gwen, there was no Peter Parker and there was no Spider-Man. Without Gwen, there was nothing. Peter couldn't lose her. That just wasn't an option. He barely even thought when his legs tightened like springs, when his wrists reached out to shoot web, and when he leapt off the bridge after her.

The biocables attached to Gwen's waist. Thinking quickly, Peter pulled her to him in midair and wrapped his arms around her small body. They hit the water with a painful smack. Their weight plunged them deep into the water, the velocity threatening to tear them apart. But Peter would not let go. He held Gwen to him, unaware whether or not she was holding him back or not, and didn't fight the force of the water. Bubbles surrounded him. His spider powers were of no value underwater, so he would just have to use pure human strength. He waited until the waters calmed around him before kicking his legs in the direction he could only hope was up. The water thinned and a paper-white moon blinded him. His head hit the surface, cold pulsing through him.

"Gwen…" he sputtered before he had even gotten a breath. Her head was buried in his chest. Peter couldn't tell if she was breathing or not. "Gwen…Gwen!"

They were floating a few feet from the base of the bridge. Peter tightened his grip on Gwen and paddled to the cement platform. When he reached it, he laid Gwen out on her back, gently resting her head in his palm. She didn't move.

"Gwen, wake up, please wake up!"

But no matter how much he begged, she remained motionless, her pale skin shining in the moonlight and her sopping wet hair clinging tightly to her face.

This couldn't be right. He had saved her. He had caught her in his arms before she had gotten hurt. She couldn't be…no, he had saved her. Unless the shock of falling had gotten to her before he had caught her…

"No…" Peter breathed. "NO!"

Peter pulled his mask off. He pressed his lips to hers. He plugged her nose, lifted her chin, and blew two breaths of air into her lungs. Her chest rose with his breath, but besides that, she didn't move. He shook his head, unable to control the sudden tears that dripped down his cheeks, mingling with the dirty water he waded in.

"Gwen…" he sobbed, touching his forehead to hers. He kissed her lips once more…they were still warm. Something brushed against his cheek…the fluttering of an eyelash. He moved his head.

Suddenly, with a deep gasp, Gwen sat straight up. Peter had to hold onto the cement to keep his adrenaline-pumped body from sinking. Gwen took in a few deep breaths of air, clutching her chest, before looking around frantically.

"Peter!" she cried when she saw him. His head was bowed, unable look up, but one arm reached up and pulled her to him. Gwen slid into the water beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, turning him to her. "Peter…"

Peter couldn't speak. He lifted his head and pressed his forehead to Gwen's once more, this time running his hands up and down her arms and neck. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and held him tighter. They didn't have to speak; both of them knew the fear the other was feeling. Neither could let go of the other, sure that if they did, something bad might happen again. They stayed there on the base of the bridge, hugging and occasional pressing their lips together, for a long time.

After what felt like an eternity of holding one another, assuring themselves of the other's presence, both were trembling with cold and loss of adrenaline. Gwen gently put Peter's mask over his head, stopping only to kiss him before covering his mouth. Peter checked to make certain that the Goblin had left. Gwen wrapped her arms around his waist and he shot a web into the sky, propelling them together into the night. Peter knew that he would have to get to Osborn before he did anything to Gwen. He had to stop him, because he couldn't possibly see Gwen so endangered ever again.

No more Mr. Good Spider-Man. Tonight changed everything. Tonight was the boiling point and Peter was not going to let anything like this happen again.

Because this was the Night that Gwen Stacy _Almost_ Died.

(But Didn't)

**Responses? Thank you all for reading!**


	10. Giving it Your All

**Hello, Spiders. So. I have to apologize for not updating this for FOREVER. Despite the wonderful amounts of reviews and suggestions, I've been strangely stuck with this series of stories. But, I guess that stickiness is somewhat broken because, hello here's an update! I hope this one is good because I think I've gotten a little out of the groove of the Spider-Man Fanfiction world. This is the dive back in! **

**Enjoy and PLEASE review!**

The warm spring breeze caressed her face gently as she stepped out of the building. She smiled and breathed in the city air, closing her eyes and opening her arms wide to the night sky. She danced around the large pavilion that was the roof. Something inside of her felt wonderful and she couldn't quite figure out why. All she knew was that her soul felt like it was about to fly out of her and explode like a firework in the stars. She let her arms fall gracefully to her sides, opening her eyes, and sighing.

"Having fun?" a voice, amused, asked.

Gwen Stacy spun around, her hair fanning out behind her. A tall masked figure, clad in red and blue stood before her.

"Peter!" she exclaimed, smiling and running towards him. She wrapped her fingers around his forearms, looking into his masked face. "Don't do that. You scared me to death."

"Sorry," Peter mumbled, though Gwen could tell that he was smirking at her. She swat his shoulder lightly. He winced and Gwen's eyes widened.

"Peter, what—"

But she couldn't go on; she was just now realizing her boyfriend's appearance. The shoulder that she had just touched was, to her dismay, covered with a darker red than that of the suit. It was a red that dripped down his arm and remained on Gwen's fingers after she touched him. The suit was torn in multiple places: on his chest, his hands, his neck…he was standing with his weight shifted more on one leg; the other was bent limply inwards.

"Oh my god…Peter—"

"Gwen," he said, holding her shoulder gently. "It's okay."

"No," Gwen breathed. She reached up and gingerly extracted the mask from his head. He was wearing a mixed expression of anxiety and guilt. A bruise was rising on his left cheek and he had a black eye. Gwen reached up and lightly touched her fingertips to his face. "No, it's not, Peter…"

But she didn't say anything more than that. She turned briskly and took him by the hand, leading him to the patio furniture that had been set up.

"Lie down," she ordered, pointing at a long reclining chair. Peter knew not to argue. He stretched out on the soft chair, letting out a deep breath. He was secretly very thankful to get off his feet. Gwen was reaching underneath the wood table, where she had attached a small first-aid kit. With a sigh, she pulled a chair up next to Peter.

"What was it this time?" she asked quietly, opening the kit and resting it on the chair beside her.

"A few robbers," Peter began, slipping the worn gloves off of his hands. "Just some petty theft…"

"Mmhmm…" Gwen narrowed her eyes disbelievingly, reaching behind Peter's neck to unzip the suit. He watched her anxiously as she began to pull the spandex down.

"And—" he tried quickly, before she could see the burns on his chest. It was too late.

"Holy crap!" Gwen gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. He had two giant, raw burns that spread over his shoulder, neck, and chest. Gwen had to blink and look away; she hadn't seen him this beaten up since the Green Goblin and even then…it wasn't this bad. She knew what this meant. This meant that there was another villain.

"Gwen, I know this looks bad, but it doesn't feel as terrible as you'd think." Peter said, reaching out to touch her face.

"Oh, really?" Gwen asked skeptically, turning to him. Peter smiled softly.

"No, actually, it hurts like hell," he shook his head, eyes glinting. Gwen smirked despite herself. Their eyes met and Gwen found that she couldn't look away. She moved his hand on her cheek to her lips and kissed his palm tenderly.

"Peter, who did this to you?" she asked, reaching into the first aid kit without taking her eyes off of Peter's. He sighed, his eyebrows beginning to pinch together with worry. He looked away from Gwen, down at the concrete, unsure of how to explain.

"Do you remember that article I told you about a few days ago? The one about the technician who got electrocuted backstage during a show?" he started. Gwen nodded. Peter lifted a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. "Well, there must have been something, I don't know, radioactive in whatever it was electrocuted him because…he didn't exactly die."

Gwen bit her lip.

"Let me guess," she said, lacing her fingers around Peter's. "He mutated somehow and can control electricity?"

"Pretty much," Peter confirmed, running his hand through his hair and messing it up even more. "He was sort of blue-ish and glowing. It was…weird. It was like he_ was_ electricity."

Gwen watched him wide-eyed. He stared ahead into space, his thoughts muddled. There hadn't been a villain so dangerous or threatening since the Green Goblin. The mere idea of another entity as powerful as the Goblin was enough to send shivers up and down Peter's spine; after what that monster had done to Gwen…after what had almost happened to her….

It had been two months since the Goblin had flung Gwen off of the bridge. Peter and Gwen hadn't openly spoken about it, but the incident had been in the back of their minds every day. Peter hadn't been able to leave Gwen's side for an entire week, until she had urged him to go, telling him that the city needed him. He was reluctant at first, but eventually, they both got back into their regular routines. Though, Peter had learned a new kind of fear since almost losing Gwen. It absorbed him constantly, the terror of losing the one person he loved the most and had vowed to protect.

"You have to be really careful, Peter," Gwen murmured, obviously thinking along the same lines as him. "These burns aren't normal looking…they could have killed you…"

Peter didn't say anything; he didn't know what to say. She pressed something gently onto one of Peter's burns and he jolted.

"Ack!" he exclaimed. Gwen gave him a look.

"Oh, don't be a baby. If you can handle sustaining a wound, you can handle being treated," she said shortly. Recovering from his shock of pain, Peter sat back and chuckled slightly at her seriousness. Gwen paused in the act of gauzing the burn and tried not to smile. Peter cupped her face once more in his hand and tilted it up to him. He leaned forward.

"Peter, your burns…" Gwen said softly, though her eyes were already closing.

"I don't care…" he breathed, his nose bumping against hers. Gwen almost lost herself as his lips brushed against hers. She started to slowly lower the gauze, but stopped herself. She opened her eyes and reached a hand up to an un-bruised part of Peter's face, stopping him. His eyes opened slowly.

"Gwen—" he began to plead. Gwen smirked and shook her head.

"Cool off, bug boy," she whispered, kissing his cheek and pushing him gently back to a lying position. Peter rested his head back, sighing dramatically. He watched Gwen intently as she bandaged both of his major injuries. Gwen could feel his eyes on her, but she worked determinedly on his wounds. If she looked anywhere else, she would have lost her focus. When she finished, she sighed at him and sat up.

"There," she said. Peter grinned at her, leaning forward again eagerly. Gwen breathed a laugh at him. "Peter…"

"Gwen…" he said, so quietly and so tenderly that the hair on Gwen's arms tingled. She smiled softly and moved her face to meet his. Their lips met gently, sort of brushing each other, at first, before the kiss deepened steadily. Peter's arm snaked around her lower back, pulling her towards him, and his palm cupped the base of her head. Gwen pushed her fingers through his thick, messy hair, loving the feeling of his mouth on hers. She tried to put all of her feelings into that kiss: the surge of joy she had felt when she had first stepped onto the roof, her relief that he was alive and, most of all, the love she had for everything about him. Sometimes she thought it bothered her that he was Spider-Man, that he always had to run off in the middle of dinner or leave her alone in bed to go save the city. But even that was something she loved about him. The things she thought she couldn't stand were really just the things she loved the most.

Peter felt a soft moan rise from somewhere in his throat. Gwen seconded the noise, holding him close, as if to never let go again. Overcome with emotion, Peter suddenly held Gwen around the knees as well as the back and swung her onto his lap.

"Peter," Gwen gasped, releasing his lips, momentarily. Peter returned them quickly.

"What?" he asked, mid-kiss. He moved to press his lips against her neck, drawing a contented sigh from Gwen.

"You're hurt," she said breathlessly. "It might get worse."

"I…Don't…Care." Peter said again, kissing Gwen on the lips in between each word.

"I do," Gwen said a few moments later and, soon after that, they parted. Gwen kissed his forehead before moving back to her chair. They looked deeply into each other's eyes for a while.

"I love you," Peter murmured suddenly, stroking her cheek. Gwen smiled, her insides warming up pleasantly.

"Peter," she whispered, her heart pounding. "I love you, too."

Peter stared at her for a few seconds before a small smile appeared on his lips. His eyebrows scrunched together, his head lowered, and he let out a very long, constricted sigh. Gwen tilted her head at him. He was nervous about something and she could tell it had nothing to do with whatever evil was running around the streets of New York.

"I…" Peter began, his voice shaking slightly. "I've been thinking about…something…for a long time."

Gwen nodded, waiting for more. Peter took a long pause before continuing.

"Gwen, I…I love you more than anything," he said. "I knew from the moment that I met you that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with." He gazed at her fondly. "I've never met anyone like you, Gwen. You're smart and tactful and just…you're everything to me. We've spent almost five amazing years together and…I don't ever want it to end."

Gwen held her breath, frozen with anticipation. Was he…?

"And when Osborn…when he nearly killed you…I just realized. I realized that no matter what I do, no matter what you do, there's always going to be something that could take us away from each other. There's no way to stop that…and…" Peter faltered, biting his lip, his eyes alight with honesty. "That terrified me. It still does. Every second of every day, it scares me how easily either of us could…" he shook his head quickly. "But then, I thought, who cares about what I can't control? I mean, it's bad and all but…as long as you're putting one-hundred-percent into all that you can control, you're doing something right. So, that's what I want to do. Give it my all. Give _us_ my all."

Very slowly, still holding Gwen's gaze, Peter slid off of the lounge chair and onto the pavement of the roof, landing carefully enough to avoid further injury to his sprained ankle.

"I've wanted to do this for a really, really long time," he said in a hushed voice, a small smile on his lips. "And I didn't imagine being beaten to a pulp when I did it, either, but…I don't care. I love you, Gwen, and…"

Biting his lip, Peter reached into the tiny pocket in his shoe and pulled out a ring with a small diamond encrusted on it. Gwen's eyes widened as she gaped at him. Peter's smile grew.

"Will you marry me?"

Gwen let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Oh my god, Peter," she breathed, tears suddenly pricking her eyes. "Oh my—yes, yes, of course!"

Peter looked slightly surprised, but pleased.

"Really?" he asked, as Gwen flung her arms around his neck.

"Yes, really, you dork!" she half-laughed, half-sobbed. "What, did you think I'd say no?"

Peter just grinned as he hugged her in return. He buried his face in her hair. Gwen's fingers were shaking. She ran them up and down the back of his neck, holding him even closer.

"Do you want to put the ring on?" Peter asked after a few minutes. Gwen shook her head.

"No," she whispered, smiling through her tears. Peter smiled bemusedly and was about to ask her why not, but she answered before he could. "I'm not letting go of you."

Peter laughed, relieved. He didn't quite feel like letting go of Gwen anytime soon.

"And it's been in your shoe for who knows how long," Gwen added, her voice thick from crying.

"Almost a week," Peter informed her, his voice muffled by her shoulder. Gwen froze suddenly. She held onto his neck, but backed her head away so that she could look at him.

"You've had that in your shoe for a week?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Almost a week," Peter corrected, smirking. Gwen gave him a look. "What?"

"Nothing," Gwen said dismissively. "It's just, you've come home bruised every single night this week and nearly got killed today…and the whole time you had that with you…in your shoe."

Peter shrugged.

"Never know when the time is right," he said.

Gwen stared at him for a few seconds, pensive. She shook her head slightly, smiling.

"You are an amazing man, Peter Parker."

**Reviews? **


End file.
